 Retour sur la conférence à Lorient sur l’émigration bretonne vers les États-UnisCette semaine à Lorient, dans le cadre des Deizioù, Emglev Bro an Oriant et l’UPB ont accueilli une conférence de Charles Kergaravat (association Breizh Amerika) consacrée à l’émigration bretonne vers les États-Unis, devant un public nombreux. Un grand merci aux organisateurs, ainsi qu’à toutes celles et ceux qui sont venu·e·s ! Lors de cette rencontre, Charles est revenu sur les grands axes qui permettent de comprendre cette histoire transatlantique : le pourquoi des départs, la manière dont l’émigration s’est développée au fil du temps grâce aux réseaux et aux destinations, les conséquences humaines, sociales et culturelles des migrations, et enfin ce qu’il en reste aujourd’hui, entre héritage, mémoire, recherches et liens encore bien vivants entre Bretagne et Amérique. Vous aimez l’histoire ? https://www.breizh-amerika.com/history.html Envie d’accueillir cette conférence dans votre ville ? Breizh Amerika peut étudier l’organisation de cette présentation chez vous (association, médiathèque, festival, université). Contactez-nous pour en discuter.  A Look Back at Charles Kergaravat’s Lorient Talk on Breton Emigration to the United StatesThis week in Lorient, as part of Deizioù, Emglev Bro an Oriant and UPB hosted a well-attended conference by Charles Kergaravat from Breizh Amerika, dedicated to Breton emigration to the United States. Many thanks to the organizers and to everyone who joined us! During the talk, Charles revisited the main themes that help make sense of this transatlantic story: why people left, how emigration grew over time through networks and destinations, the human, social, and cultural impacts of migration, and finally what remains today—a living legacy shaped by memory, research, and enduring connections between Brittany and the United States. Want to dive deeper? Explore Breizh Amerika’s history resources Interested in hosting this presentation in your town? Breizh Amerika can explore organizing this talk with your group (community organization, library, festival, university). Get in touch and let’s discuss.
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BREIZH AMERIKA PROFILES | Theodore BrodeIn this Breizh Amerika Profiles, we meet Theodore “Ted” Brode—known to many as Théo—a Louisiana-based French educator and musician whose journey has carried him from pipe band circles and Cajun sessions to festoù-noz in Brittany. He shares how family roots, a year in Rennes, and a Bagad encounter in Lafayette helped spark a deep dive into Breton music—right down to picking up the bombarde and finding new ways to connect Breizh and Louisiana. Tell us where you are from and your interest in Brittany? My name is Ted. I grew up in the woods of northeast Louisiana. I’ve lived in the Lafayette area for a while now. Most people know me in local circles for my work in French and French language education. That is a story in and of itself. In short, I’ve been pretty deep into anything in Louisiana connected to French/ A lot of my francophone friends know me as “Théo.” At the same time, I suppose I’ve also had my feet wet in all types of musical and language related things throughout my life. My exposure to Breton culture was mostly passive growing up. My parents were fans of traditional music and I was exposed to a few Breton melodies from different Celtic groups such as the Chieftains versions of Son ar chistr and Pe trouz war an douar. (I didn’t know the titles at the time but knew the melodies well) We also attended different festivals where I listened to a lot of Celtic music. Most Celtic bands have some sort of Breton set. I saw a Highland Pipe Band play at a festival and became instantly hooked as a young boy. I started taking lessons around the age of 8 and joined a local pipe band. With the pipe band, I played in various competitions and festivals in the deep south for many years. Throughout my teens, I added a couple popular Bagad tunes to my repertoire such as “An Dro Saint Patrick” and “La Boum” which were well known in the piping circles outside of Brittany. The Great Highland Bagpipe (GHB) has of course been a vital part of the Breton “Bagad” and “Bagadou” since WW2. Naturally, the two piping traditions have bled into each other's repertoires. In addition, I took up playing the Irish whistle and low whistle in high school while listening to a good bit of Breton melodies from different Celtic groups such as Tri Yann and Lunasa. In college, I joined a Celtic folk band playing pipes and whistles. I also played Funerals, Weddings, Burn’s Suppers and St. Patrick’s Day gigs at the local Irish Pub. At the same time, I developed a taste for Cajun music at a pretty young age. I’m not sure why but the French language paired with the fiddle and accordion was something special. In high school, I self taught fiddle and even French. I never took any formal French classes until college. I’m not from an area that has historical ties to Cajun music and isn’t a part of Acadiana. I would say that I was probably exposed to more celtic related things if anything considering the areas Scots and Irish connections. However, a lot of interest in French came not just from that genre of music but also an interest in my family history. Some of those ancestors are also from Brittany: the Voisin family from Saint-Servan, the Leblanc family from St. Malo, the Delachaise family from Nantes, as well as Acadian ancestors who were living in western Brittany during the diaspora. After college, I spent a year teaching in Rennes as a part of the CODOFIL program called Escadrille Louisiane. I went with the intent of learning more French and to become a French Immersion teacher. In my head, my experience with Breton music and learning French were not really connected. (I guess that makes me Breton?) I was in Rennes for French and work but the longer I stayed I realized I had more connections with the area by participating in Fest Noz’s, local festivals such as Bogue d’Or in Redon and traveling throughout Breizh. I learned a lot about the different Breton and Gallo regions. In 2019, Bagad Plougastell came to play at Festival Internationale in Lafayette. At the time, I was deep into Cajun Music and French. I hadn’t really touched my other celtic instruments in several years. Seeing the Bagad in person was definitely motivating. That year I decided to pick the pipes back up and in 2020, when musical competitions became popular online due to Covid, I competed in many events and won a couple 6/8 March competitions using a march composed by Herri Leon (from Finistere) named “Deut mat oc'h Yann.” One thing led to another, and I found myself with a bombarde. Why pick up the bombarde? I chose to learn the bombarde out of curiosity but also to dig a little deeper into music and Breton music. One thing that I’ve enjoyed in the process was moving my mindset outside of sheet music to listening. I really liked how a lot of bombarde repertoire comes from an oral tradition and from a rich tradition in the Breton language. This is kind of foreign to most Highland pipers as they’ve relied heavily on manuals and books. Although, it does have its own ancient singing tradition (See: canntaireachd) I’m not anti-sheet music by any means but that foundation in singing is fundamental. I’ve enjoyed getting into Bagad compositions and arrangements. Although pipers in Bagads and Pipe Bands play essentially the same instrument, they use a different musical scale which is something I have had to wrap my mind around. This is in part due to the bombarde. The bombarde adds so much more to the performance and reaches well beyond the limited scales of the pipes. I’m really starting to step out of my Bagad / Pipe Band comfort zone to see how the bombarde fits in with other traditions and scenes such as its role in the Mass or being played with the Biniou kozh. Was it hard to pick up? The fingering of a bombard has not been difficult to learn because it really mimics the same fingerings of other instruments such as the tin whistle which I already play. However, the bombard is known as a physically demanding instrument. A bagpipe itself is a good exercise on the lungs but you have the luxury of a bag to supplement your breathing. Luckily, the style of Breton bombard music follows a call and response type of structure in which the bombard initiates the rhythm and the feel of the music and allows other instruments such as the binoiou kozh or binoiu braz to fill in the gaps leaving a little breathing room (literally). There are other challenging things that the bombard presents such as hitting extra octaves, tonguing the reed, and adding a type of rhythm that a bagpipe cannot attain. The most challenging thing is just playing and learning the music by myself away from other talabarders. I’ve corresponded with other bombard players but hearing music through a computer is not quite the same as hearing a bombard in person. You’ve taken part in Breizh Amerika before, what have you enjoyed? I’ve listened to several stellar performances from Breton players who’ve travelled to the area in the past few years. The most recent was the most memorable. After the most recent Festival Acadiens et Creoles, I witnessed Simon Creachcadec and Tanguy Soubigou really put on a show at a small house jam outside of Lafayette, Louisiana. Most Breton musicians I’ve seen are multitalented and these two guys really set the bar high. It was a mixture of improv Breton and Louisiana music. It was definitely a night to remember. |
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Breizh Amerikais an organization established to create, facilitate, promote, and sponsor wide-ranging innovative and collaborative cultural and economic projects that strengthen and foster relations and cooperation between the United States of America and the region of Brittany, France. 
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