Vishtèn Connexions

Vishtèn is a Canadian folk music group from PEI and the Magdalen Islands, whose style is rooted in Acadian music. The group consisted of vocalists and instrumentalists Pastelle and Emmanuelle LeBlanc, and instrumentalist Pascal Miousse. The group is most noted for their 2018 album Horizons, which received a JUNO Award nomination for Traditional Roots Album of the Year in 2019. The band includes instruments such as fiddle, electric guitar, accordion, mandolin, whistles, jaw harp, foot percussion and bodhran.

Horizons also won several awards from Music PEI, including Best Francophone Artist, Group Recording and Roots Traditional Recording. In 2018 they also collaborated with Joseph Edgar, Robin-Joel Cool, Wanabi Farmeur, Lisa LeBlanc, Caroline Savoie, and Edith Butler, on the album Grand tintamarre ! – Chansons et comptines acadiennes, which won Children’s Album of the Year at the 14th Canadian Folk Music Awards.

When member Pastelle LeBlanc died of breast cancer in 2022, the two surviving members of the award-winning Acadian roots group, Pastelle’s twin sister, Emmanuelle LeBlanc, and Pastelle’s life partner, Pascal Miousse, found more than 100 unfinished song ideas on Pastelle LeBlanc’s devices. Emmanuelle and Pascal then worked with other artists as a solution for moving forward with Pastelle in spirit, releasing the album Expansion in 2024. Pastelle’s enduring presence looms large throughout the album.