The Government of Canada Supports Festival St-Zénon-de-Piopolis

June 28, 2008

ST-ZÉNON-DE-PIOPOLIS - This year, the cultural committee of Piopolis will present a varied series of concerts and will be able to update its broadcast equipment, thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada of up to $17,000.

The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Secretary of State (Agriculture) and Member of Parliament (Mégantic-L'Érable), on behalf of the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages and Minister for La Francophonie, today announced funding for the Festival St-Zénon-de-Piopolis.

Funding of $6,000 will help the organization to present its tenth festival, which is taking place from May to December 2008. This year's programming includes six musical performances in various genres (classical, blues, gospel, folk, and world music), all of which are presented in the St Zénon de Piopolis church.

Funding of $11,000 will help the organization considerably improve its specialized equipment to improve the technical quality of presentations offered to the residents.

"Thanks to the efforts and determination of the Comité culturel de Piopolis, the Festival St Zénon de Piopolis is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. A number of well-known artists have performed at the Festival over the years," said Minister Verner. "I am pleased to support an event that provides opportunities for local and visiting music lovers to attend a variety of concerts featuring artists from all over the world."

"The Festival St-Zénon-de-Piopolis is a wonderful event, a unique and not-to-be-missed cultural happening for the whole region. It not only showcases local talent and artists from abroad, but it also provides an opportunity to share in local history and heritage," said Mr. Paradis. "Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to make it a reality."

"I would like to underline the importance of this support from the Department of Canadian Heritage," said Roger DesBiens, Artistic Director of the Comité culturel de Piopolis and President of the Festival. "This funding is essential to the success of this 2008 season, which marks our tenth anniversary. It will also enable us to obtain better sound system equipment before the beginning of the 2009 season. We can therefore look forward optimistically to the next ten years."

The Government of Canada has provided the initial support of $6,000 through the Arts Presentation Canada program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program seeks to give Canadians greater access to the diversity and richness of Canada's culture through festivals, the presentation of live professional performances, and other artistic experiences.

The second support of $11,000 was provided by the Cultural Spaces Canada program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program contributes to improved physical conditions for artistic creativity and presentation or exhibition. It is designed to improve access for Canadians to the performing, visual, and media arts, as well as to museum collections and heritage exhibitions.