***POSTPONED***

The health of our students, members and friends and the well-being of our community are top priories for the Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul. Regrettably, the Gaëlle Wondje concerts in both Rochester and Minneapolis will be postponed. 

 On March 20, the Rochester Art Center and Alliance Française, in partnership with the City of Rochester Music Department (Riverside Concerts), present a concert of Gaëlle Grâce WONDJE BANGA, known as Gaelle WONDJE, a Cameroonian singer.

Alliance Française Minneapolis/St. Paul has invited Cameroonian musician Gaëlle Wondje to perform in Rochester! A vibrant performer and gifted musician, Gaëlle is known for her unique style, which blends the traditional Cameroonian sounds of makossa and bikutsi with bluesy ballads, jazz, and Afro Pop music. Just as with the merging of musical genres, Gaëlle will sing in multiple languages: French, English, and Beti languages. Throughout the concert, Gaëlle will engage the audience in a conversation that will explore the different styles of Cameroonian music and the inspirations that lead her to develop a musical style that is so exceptionally unique. Don’t miss this extraordinary musical event!

TICKETS: $10 at the door - $8 in advance (from afmsp.org) 7pm doors, 8pm show

Each March, more than 33 million people around the world celebrate Le Mois de la Francophonie, or the Month of French Speaking. This global initiative highlights the diversity of French-speaking cultures. As part of this tradition, the Twin Cities’ French cultural center Alliance Française Minneapolis/St. Paul will showcase Cameroon through a series of events.

Throughout the month, there will be a series of musical, linguistic, gastronomic, and cinematic events teamed up with partners including the Cedar Cultural Center, Macalester College, Rochester Art Center and the City of Rochester Music Department!  Join us in a rich and varied cultural program bringing you all of the best of Cameroonian culture and its connections to the French language. This year’s festivities kick off at the Alliance francaise on March 6 at 5 pm. The opening celebration includes a vernissage, or art reception, of Cameroonian artworks and garments, with a Cameroonian buffet. For more information https://www.afmsp.org/Cameroon.

Born on June 12, 1983 in the city of Nanga Eboko, in the Center province of Cameroon, Gaelle Wondje is an artist with music running through her veins. After singing as an accompaniest with musicians such as Charlotte DIPANDA or Manu DIBANGO, she performed solo for the very first time on the reality TV show LACLASS in 2005. Gaelle Wondje then released her first album "M comme aimer" in 2011. In 2017, she returned with "Ening" which means "Life" in Beti language.

Gaelle Wondje sings in French, English, Douala, Bakaka and Nanga languages. Married and mother of three, she is inspired by the love, gratitude and peace that this identity gives her to enrich her music. She has earned a glowing reputation as a brilliant solo performer after four concerts at the IFC in Douala and Yaoundé, during which she presented her albums to the Cameroonian public. In March 2018, she participated in the MASA (Abidjan Arts and Entertainment Market) in the Ivory Coast. The concert in Rochester Art Center will be her first ever concert in the USA!

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Riverside Concerts (Rochester Music Dept.) is a department of the City of Rochester, MN Government.