Meet The Performers
Gilbert Parent
Founder
Gilbert Parent is a native French-Canadian from the Peace River area. He has a Bachelor of Education from the Faculté St-Jean (University of Alberta) and taught for the Edmonton Separate School system. He began his career as a singer with La Gigue Electric and danced with Les Blés d’or and Les Danseurs de la Rivière Rouge, before forming the Edmonton jig group La Girandole. He plays the guitar, accordion, musical saw, spoons and various percussive instruments. His compositions have earned him a $1,200 prize during the Saint-John Baptist Festival in Red Deer and a $1,500 award at Festival du Bois in British Columbia.
More recently he has been the recipient of countless AFA grants.
Ian Porteous
In 1970, Ian was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and in 1995 He graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering but his passion for guitar and banjo playing took him to Nashville to study the country and bluegrass styles where he developed his “Foundation Music Coaching” program.
Recently Ian has gravitated towards the strategies and principles of accelerated learning. By fusing Canadian History and French Canadian culture, he educates in a very dynamic way with song, dance and animation. His approach is one of high energy, intense and precise personal development and inspiration.
For the past ten years Ian has been specializing in Artist in residency programs where he has a unique ability to get students and staff alike to take part in an incredible team effort where the Social Studies curriculum is brought to life through artistic performance.
