Dan Chouinard

Sunday’s dreary weather didn’t stop fans of local musician Dan Chouinard from attending AF’s Pop Transatlantic concert. An enthusiastic crowd gathered in the Grande Salle to participate in the multi-lingual singalong. Dan prepared a range of hits that would ring familiar with those native to the US and our friends across the Atlantic.

Not only was it a practice in pronunciation, but in the art of translation as well. Dan created an easygoing environment for discussion of the nuances in lyrics between the three languages. He would often have us sing a verse, stop, analyze the lines, and sing it again. Understanding the words impacted the tone during the second sing-through. We quickly realized that Americanized lyrics ended considerably more upbeat than their foreign counterparts. See Blue Moon. Examining the songs through translation offered insight that would otherwise be missed. For instance, I never realized the extent of hilarity in ¨How much is that doggy in the window?¨ It is quite telling of cultural differences.

Dan’s passion was clearly reflected in the crowd, making for a fun dialogue as opposed to a formal lecture. Excitement for another concert grows! Surely a delightful way to spend a rainy afternoon. Hopefully this will be the first in many collaborations between AF, the ICC and Dan Chouinard!

The full setlist: