The Maine Arts Commission Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Awardees- Fiscal Year 2003
Ben Guillemette, Sanford
Franco-American fiddler Ben Guillemette, of Sanford, has entertained audiences all over the world, including the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, Carnegie Hall, and the National Folk Festival. During his enlistment in the service, Ben entertained troops for the Red Cross. A past winner of the National Traditional Fiddling Championship, Ben began playing at the age of twelve, and continues after sixty years. Ben earned his living as a cabinetmaker, and now makes fiddles in addition to playing them. His apprentice, Veronica Delcourt, of Gorham is in her second years of apprenticeship.
Emile Langevin, Lyman
Franco-American fiddler Emile Langevin, of Lyman, has been playing the fiddle since 1993, as well as backing up other fiddlers with a guitar for thirty years. He has judged fiddle contests in Lewiston, ME and Northwood, NH. In addition to regular jam sessions at his home, Emile has played dances at Parish Hall, in Biddeford, as well as the Saco Yacht club. His apprentice is Mary Rose Lord, of South Berwick.
Benoit Bourque
Quebecois step dancer and musician Benoit Bourque toured the continent in the early 1980’s, with the ensemble Eritage. He has performed widely on radio and television, and has earned a reputation not only as an inspired dancer, but as a choreographer and teacher, frequently presenting workshops for children and youth. Bourque has performed as a member for the trio Matapat from 1998 to 2002, during which time the band was nominated for Canada’s top music award, the Juno, for both of their CD’s. He currently performs with the quartet Le Vent du Nord. His apprentice is Cindy Larock, of Lewiston, Larock has devoted much of her time in turn to teaching stepdancing to another generation of Maine children.
Don Roy, Gorham 
Franco American fiddler Don Roy, of Gorham, began learning traditional music at house parties from childhood. After warming up on a guitar at age six, his uncle Lou put a fiddle in his hands when he was fifteen. Don won his first fiddle contest in 1976. In 1990 he was the Maine State Champion. He has appeared at the Lowell Festival in Massachusetts, at Carnegie Hall, and on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion. His most recent CD, Thanks for the Lift was recorded in 2000. He has performed French and Irish music with bands in Maine, and currently performs with Fiddlebox. He currently teaches regular fiddle workshops at the Center for Cultural Exchange in Portland. His apprentice is Rhonda Bullock.
Pirun Sen
Pirun Sen, of Portland, came to the United States from Cambodia more than twenty years ago and immediately began seeking out other musicians in Portland and nearby areas in order to keep alive the music he knew as a young man in Cambodia. For Pirun, the drumbeat becomes the sound of the human heart, and the music itself, a reflective experience that focuses all his attention. He currently leads the Samaki Ensemble, an ensemble of Cambodian musicians who play throughout Maine and New England. His apprentice, Anthony Chhem, of Portland is in his second year of apprenticeship, and hopes to become a musician in his own right, performing with the Samaki, and other ensembles.
