Abrams Village chanteuse awarded Prix Hommage
Guardian Staff
Acclaimed Acadian chanteuse Angele Arsenault was honoured Saturday night at the Éloizes Awards in Charlottetown with the Prix Hommage for a lifetime of achievement in the arts.
Angele ArsenaultThe Abrams Village native, known affectionately in the Acadian community as the ‘Star of the Island’ because of her vast body of work, was one of more than a dozen artists, arts organizations and events honoured at a gala awards ceremony in Charlottetown.
Angele Arsenault’s Grand Pre by Sandra LeCouteur
More than 800 people attended the ceremony which saw artists honoured in six artistic disciplines: literature, visual arts, cinema-videos, dance, music and theatre.
Arsenault was the first Acadian woman to promote Acadie outside of the region.
Her recordings still enjoy immense popularity throughout the country.
She enjoyed her first taste of success on the national stage with the release of her Libre album in 1975. That record was certified triple platinum.
A prolific artist with more than 20 albums to her credit, Arsenault has the recipient of numerous awards.
Her career highlights include being inducted into the Order of Canada in 2003.
“Her fans admire her for her simplicity, dynamism and contagious joie de vivre,” a statement from the organizers said.
“Through laughter and tears, Angèle Arsenault carries the torch . . . for hope . . . for all Acadie.”
The Éloizes, which take their name from an Acadian word for lightning, are juried awards in which the recipients are chosen by a jury of their peers.
Following are the winners of Saturday night’s other categories:
The night’s only double award winner was Sofi Langis, named artist of the year in cinema-video-television and new artist of the year.
Manon Melanson was named artist of the year in dance.
The award for artist of the year in theatre was presented to Claire Normand.
Serge Patrice Thibodeau was named artist of the year in literature.
Joseph Edgar, lead singer of the group Zéro° Celsius, was named artist of the year in music.
The award for artist of the year in visual arts was presented to Raymonde Fortin.
Danny Boudreau was presented with an award for having the largest impact outside of Acadie.
The award for show of the year was presented to Carte blanche aux artistes d’Ode.
Le Courrier de la Nouvelle-Écosse received the award for best media coverage.
The award for event of the year was presented to the Frye Festival.
An award for support for the arts was presented to La Coopérative de Caraquet.
The award for support for artistic production went to the Association régionale de la communauté francophone de Saint-Jean.
The 2008 Éloizes Event was presented by the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick, in collaboration with the Fédération culturelle de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard, the Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean and the City of Charlottetown.
