Daniel Boucher
American, born 1980
BiographyDaniel Boucher is a fiddle player and composer from Bristol, Connecticut who learned French Canadian songs from his father and other musicians in the local community. Also a singer and composer of traditional-style songs, Daniel revitalized French Canadian folk music in Connecticut in the 2000s by organizing soirées, dance parties, and seasonal celebrations including his annual Maple Sugar Party. Daniel has performed with New England-based French Canadian music groups such as Chanterelle and The Beaudoin Family, and with singer Josée Vachon. His performances include the Québec 400 celebrations in Québec City in 2008; dance parties at Le Foyer in Pawtucket, Rhode Island; the Blackstone River Theater in Cumberland, Rhode Island; French Day at the State Capitol in Hartford; and folk festivals in Lowell, Massachusetts and Bangor, Maine. Daniel’s concerts inspire audiences to participate in dancing, call and response singing, or playing the spoons.
CCHAP first met Daniel in 1998, when he played with his father Jules at the opening of "Sur Bois: Franco-American Woodcarvers of New England," an exhibit presented by CCHAP at the Institute for Community Research gallery. A dynamic performer and cultural activist, Daniel organized regular French-Canadian music jams and cultural events/celebrations around central Connecticut, drawing participants from all over New England. Daniel has been part of the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program as both master and student over the years. He worked with renowned Quebecois fiddler Rosaire LeHoux in Year 7 (2004-2005), learning Rosaire’s “crooked tunes.” He taught his own traditional fiddle compositions to 15-year old Nate Ouellette in Year 9, and in Year 10 worked with Colette Fournier on French Canadian songs and Jean Galipeau in Year 15 (2012-2013). Dan and Colette performed at a soiree organized by CCHAP for a cultural bus tour, and then again at the State Capitol before a large crowd commemorating Jean de Baptiste Day. Dan and Colette, along with former participants Donna Hebert and Nate Ouellette, have played all over New England with the Beaudoin project, a region-wide music preservation initiative, and at festivals, soirees, and house parties. CCHAP presented Daniel with a group of French-Canadian musicians at the Kennedy Center and Library of Congress “Homegrown: Music of America” series in 2011, and he played with Josée Vachon and Patrick Ross at an outdoor concert at the Connecticut Historical Society in 2015. Substantial CCHAP archive materials exist for Daniel and his events.
CCHAP first met Daniel in 1998, when he played with his father Jules at the opening of "Sur Bois: Franco-American Woodcarvers of New England," an exhibit presented by CCHAP at the Institute for Community Research gallery. A dynamic performer and cultural activist, Daniel organized regular French-Canadian music jams and cultural events/celebrations around central Connecticut, drawing participants from all over New England. Daniel has been part of the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program as both master and student over the years. He worked with renowned Quebecois fiddler Rosaire LeHoux in Year 7 (2004-2005), learning Rosaire’s “crooked tunes.” He taught his own traditional fiddle compositions to 15-year old Nate Ouellette in Year 9, and in Year 10 worked with Colette Fournier on French Canadian songs and Jean Galipeau in Year 15 (2012-2013). Dan and Colette performed at a soiree organized by CCHAP for a cultural bus tour, and then again at the State Capitol before a large crowd commemorating Jean de Baptiste Day. Dan and Colette, along with former participants Donna Hebert and Nate Ouellette, have played all over New England with the Beaudoin project, a region-wide music preservation initiative, and at festivals, soirees, and house parties. CCHAP presented Daniel with a group of French-Canadian musicians at the Kennedy Center and Library of Congress “Homegrown: Music of America” series in 2011, and he played with Josée Vachon and Patrick Ross at an outdoor concert at the Connecticut Historical Society in 2015. Substantial CCHAP archive materials exist for Daniel and his events.
Person TypeIndividual
