Official Voyageurs

Festival du Voyageur ambassadors

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Since the first ever Festival in 1969, the Official Voyageurs are the ambassadors of the Festival du Voyageur. They promote the winter festival to the best of their abilities and represent the joie de vivre of the francophone community. All the while spreading the voyageur spirit, the Official Voyageurs also have a sense of adventure and discovery.

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THE HUTLET FAMILY

OFFICIAL VOYAGEURS 2024-2025

Phil and Danièle met in person for the first time at the Voyageur Park during the Festival du Voyageur in 2004. The following weekend, their first official date started at the Relais des Pionniers. They got married in 2005 and later moved to Lorette in 2015, where they are raising and homeschooling their four children on a small acreage. The Hutlet family loves spending time outdoors together, walking in their backyard trails, and camping while exploring the natural beauty in Manitoba’s Provincial Parks. Music has always been a central part of their lives. In 2018, they started a family band, Hutlet 2.0, and have been sharing their love of fiddle music with others ever since.

Danièle

Danièle Hutlet (born Landry) spent her childhood between Winnipeg, MB, and Edmonton, AB, with her parents and younger brother. She is proud of her Franco-Manitoban roots and of being the 3rd cousin of renowned author Gabrielle Roy. After completing her homeschooling, she spent a year studying at the Catholic School of Evangelization before attending Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface to further her education. She now homeschools her 4 children. She also assists with fiddle competitions at the national level, creating programs/booklets for their annual competition. She is passionate about Canadian history and uses the excuse of homeschooling to justify her collection of books. She loves to decorate intricate fondant cakes for special occasions. For her, the most important priority is to give her children the tools they need to succeed and encourage them to follow their passions.

Phil

Phil grew up on a hobby farm near St-Claude, MB, and is proud to be a distant cousin of Louis Riel. He is the 3rd of 7 children and was homeschooled. From the age of 9, Phil played guitar and bass for several years with the group Les GILETs. This is where his passion for culture and fiddle music began. After completing his Primary Care Paramedic training, Phil began his career working for ambulance services in rural Manitoba. For over 20 years, he has worked for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, most recently as a District Chief of Paramedic Operations. Over the years, he has completed his training in Advanced Care Paramedic and finished his Bachelor of Health Science. For the past few years, he has been very involved with fundraising for provincial and national fiddling and jigging competitions, including those at the Festival du Voyageur. In 2023, he became founding president and treasurer of the Red River Fiddle & Dance Society Inc., a new non-profit organization.

Danika

Danika, the eldest of the family, is 16 years old and in grade 11. She has always been determined to succeed in everything she does. She has been inseparable from her fiddle since the age of 6 and released her first album at the age of 10. She often plays for more than 6-8 hours a day, which means that her strings must constantly be replaced! She has been invited to compete at the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition for the past three years and began teaching fiddle in 2023. Last Spring, she joined l’Ensemble Folklorique de la Rivière Rouge as one of their fiddlers. She also spends her early mornings playing the piano. Her other passions include dancing Acro, spending time with her friends, and reading as many books as possible. These days, she'd rather lose herself in a book than watch TV!

Élise

Élise, 12, is in grade 7 and has several passions. From a very young age, she used YouTube to learn to draw and, with the help of her Memère Landry, she has taken up acrylic painting. In 2022, one of her drawings was used to create a trophy for the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association’s national competition. She often plays the fiddle with her big sister, Danika, in the living room, usually drawing the family in for an impromptu Kitchen Party. Élise enjoys dancing Acro and practices her flips and aerial jumps everywhere she goes. She is an amateur photographer and hairdresser and enjoys creating miniature houses. She is also interested in sewing, creating several different projects including her new cape that she will wear for this edition of the Festival du Voyageur.

Rémi

At the age of 10, Rémi is in grade 5. He started playing drums with Hutlet 2.0 at the age of 7. Jokingly, he always says that the drums are the perfect instrument because: When you're angry, you've got something to hit! For a winter project, he and his dad built a suitcase drum kit. Rémi loves catching frog, watching documentaries about animals and exploring nature with his sister, Élise. He spends his time inventing and building cardboard box models of all kinds. As for sports, he plays soccer as much as possible. His favourite positions with his soccer team in Lorette are goalkeeper and forward. He also takes skating lessons and is a big Winnipeg Jets fan!

Mia

Mia, 6, is in grade 1 this year and loves school, especially reading and math. As the Festival baby of the family, she can't wait to celebrate her 7th birthday with everyone during the Festival du Voyageur. She loves to sing and started learning the fiddle in 2023 with her big sister, Danika, as her teacher. When she was only 5 years old, she became the youngest fiddler to ever compete at the Manitoba Provincial Fiddling Contest and since then, she continues to compete as much as possible. She inspires to play as well as her big sisters, and she loves performing on stage with Hutlet 2.0. In her spare time, she loves drawing and crafting, and enjoys baking with anyone who asks for her help.

2020 requests for the official family are now closed

Order of the Official Voyageurs

Turenne, Julie and Gab-Riel 'Pit', 2021-2023
Régnier, Liliane and Robert, 2019-2020
Perron-Beaudry, Nicole and Christian, 2017 – 2018
Sorin, Michelle and Marcel, 2015 – 2016
Order of the Official Voyageurs, 2014 (To celebrate the festival’s 45th anniversary)
St-Vincent, Daniel and Gagnon, Jocelyne, 2012 – 2013
Chamberland, Roger and Gervais, Michelle, 2010 – 2011
Fortier, Denis and Annette, 2008 – 2009
Brunet, Charles and Gisèle, 2006 – 2007
Dupont, Jacques and Paulette, 2004 – 2005
Pambrun, Jean-Marie and Jocelyne, 2002 – 2003
Noël, Guy and Johanne, 2000 – 2001
Lacroix, Guy and Agathe, 1998 – 1999
Clément, Gérald and Hélène, 1996 – 1997
Riel, Joseph and Joanne, 1994 – 1995
Rémillard, Marc and Aline, 1992 – 1993
Forest, Gabriel and Marcelle, 1990 – 1991
Dandeneau, David and Huguette, 1988 – 1989
Lavack, Philippe and Jacqueline, 1986 – 1987, 1989
Gaudry, Neil and Léona, 1984 – 1985, 1989
Laroche, Pierre and Carmen, 1982 – 1983, 1989
Desaulniers, Aurèle and Gabrielle, 1980 – 1981, 1989
Loiselle, Lucien and Lucienne, 1977 – 1978, 1989
Prenovault, Gérard and Germaine, 1974 – 1976, 1989
D’Eschambault, Gilbert and Elsie, 1973, 1989
Marion, Roland and Laurette, 1971 – 1972, 1989
Forest, Georges and Anita, 1970, 1989