Active in the traditional Québécois music scene, Nicolas Babineau is a multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer appreciated for his sensitive and versatile musicality. Trained as a classical violinist at the Conservatoire de Musique de Trois-Rivières, he later studied folk and jazz music with violinist Tommy Gauthier. However, it is the world of Québécois traditional fiddlers, their incomparable style and their unobtrusively rich repertoire, that now inspires his work on the violin. As a guitarist, Nicolas is an accompanist recognized for his poignant, minimalistic approach. His duo with Montréal fiddler Alexis Chartrand, which focuses on melodies inherited from 20th century fiddlers, has performed in Québec, across Canada, in the United States and in Sweden. Numerous ensembles such as Yves Lambert Trio, La Bottine Souriante and Réveillons! have benefited from his virtuosity on the fiddle, the guitar and the mandolin during concerts in Canada, Chile, Spain, France and the United States. Since the production of his first album when he was only 13, Nicolas has contributed his talents in the sound engineering, mixing and production of more than 15 folk, traditional and pop music records. In 2022, he took part in the creation of singer-songwriter Jordane’s album Reine de Papier. He co-produced the two Babineau/Chartrand albums, and album with Jean Duval and Le Tranino, by Alexis Chartrand and Colin Savoie-Levac (Rosier), and finds inspiration in his classical music experience to capture the immediacy of unedited performances, offering recordings praised for their “soft and intimate ambiance”, which allows the listener to “focus on the smallest details”.

Montréal fiddler Alexis Chartrand has been active in the Québécois traditional music scene for several years. He is known for his energetic accompaniment of stepdancing and social dances, frequently collaborating with dancers including baroque dancer Anne-Marie Gardette and traditional dancer and caller Pierre Chartrand. He has explored contemporary and traditional sounds and movements with stepdancers Mélissandre Tremblay-Bourassa and Antoine Turmine. His 2017 album with multi-instrumentalist Nicolas Babineau (fiddle, guitar), Gigues à 2 faces, was nominated for Best Traditional Album at the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards, while their 2019 album un beau ptit son has brought their performances across Québec, Canada, New England and Europe. Alexis’ research into the intersections between traditional and baroque violin styles has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Montréal Arts Council and the Centre des Musiciens du Monde. This work has led to the introduction of the baroque violin into the practice of Québécois folklore, and to new interactions between the worlds of traditional and early musics. His teaching has been appreciated at CAMMAC, Sutton (Québec), Boxwood Festival (Nova Scotia) and Carleton University (Ontario), among others, where he has given workshops on fiddle, traditional repertoire and traditional music history.