Le Vent du Nord

Formed in the early 2000s in Quebec, Le Vent du Nord explores francophone traditional music through a repertoire drawn from the province’s rural and maritime history. Usually performing as a quartet or quintet, the group brings together singers and instrumentalists around the fiddle, hurdy-gurdy, accordion, guitar, jaw harp, and foot percussion (podorythmie). Le Vent du Nord crafts a sound that blends call-and-response songs, reels, laments, and original compositions, with tightly knit vocal harmonies and rhythmic work closely tied to dance. Embedded in the North American folk scene, the band has established itself through tours in Europe, Canada, and the United States, appearing at both general-interest festivals and programs dedicated to world and traditional music. Le Vent du Nord takes part in various collective projects centered on Quebec heritage and the North American Francophonie, and occasionally collaborates with other folk ensembles or with chamber and orchestral formations in creative contexts or in reimagining the repertoire.