Concert: La Bolduc with Steve Normandin

Join us for a musical celebration of Québécoise musican and singer La Bolduc, featuring acclaimed accordionist Steve Normandin!

Mary Rose-Anne Travers, also known as La Bolduc, is considered to be Québéc’s first singer-songwriter. Active in the late 1920s and 1930s, her blend of traditional folk music from Ireland and Quebec would earn her the title of Queen of Canadian Folk Singers. This one-hour concert will celebrate her music through song, accordion, harmonica, and piano.

Guests will a post-concert reception featuring complimentary Québécoise beer and maple cream cookies.

Doors at 6:00 pm. Concert at 6:30. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Non-alcoholic options will be available.

About the Artist

Steve Normandin

For twenty-five years, Steve Normandin has been singing on stages big and small around the world with his accordion as his companion. In addition to his work as a songwriter and performer, he has lent his accompanying talents to prominent figures in Quebecois music and theater, including Clémence Des Rochers, Marie Michèle Desrosiers, Raymond Lévesque, and Robert Lepage.

Together with Hungarian collector László Pusztai, the singer-musician published a book titled “Édith Piaf: The Unknown Icon. Catalog of Works 1935-2023” in June 2023. This book was released on the 60th anniversary of the famous singer’s death, coinciding with the creation of a new show featuring forgotten or lesser-known songs by Édith Piaf.

From 2021 to 2025, Steve Normandin has been in charge of programming for the Carrefour Mondial de l’Accordéon (Montmagny). He has also contributed to the establishment of the new exhibition at the Musée de l’accordéon « De La Bolduc aux Cowboys fringants : l’accordéon dans la chanson québécoise » ( “From La Bolduc to Les Cowboys Fringants: The Accordion in Quebecois Song”).

About La Bolduc

By Famous Studio, Montréal - http://www.collectionscanada.ca/gramophone/m2-150-e.php?uid=m2-nlc002547&uidc=recKey, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2977753

Mary Rose-Anne Bolduc, born Travers, (June 4, 1894 – February 20, 1941) was a musician and singer of French Canadian music. She was known as Madame Bolduc or La Bolduc. During the peak of her popularity in the 1930s, she was known as the Queen of Canadian Folk Singers.Bolduc is often considered to be Quebec’s first singer-songwriter. Her style combined the traditional folk music of Ireland and Quebec, usually in upbeat, comedic songs.

Wikipedia contributors. “La Bolduc.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 26 Dec. 2025. Web. 13 Feb. 2026.

About the Festival

Festival de la Francophonie is the Alliance Française de Chicago’s annual flagship festival, featuring a vibrant lineup of free public programs over the course of the month of March—the official Mois de la Francophonie—celebrating the world’s French-speaking cultures. AF-Chicago is honored to partner with cultural organizations and government institutions across the city to offer high-quality cultural experiences and a forum where people of all ages and backgrounds can discover and connect with the cultures, customs, and language of the Francophone world, to promote lifelong learning and cultural understanding. Check out the full program here.

Getting Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Ave. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark and the 66 on Chicago Ave. A Divvy station is located in front of the 54 W Chicago Ave entrance.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.