Cirque du Soleil among performers for G7 leaders during Charlevoix summit

Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian Press</span>
Published Thursday, June 7, 2018 7:13AM EDT

QUEBEC -- World-renowned entertainment troupe Cirque du Soleil will be providing G7 leaders with some diversion Friday night during their annual summit, which is being hosted this year in Quebec's Charlevoix region.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the other leaders, along with their spouses, will gather around a campfire to watch the show outside the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu hotel, where the dignitaries are staying for the two-day meeting.

Although Cirque du Soleil has become an international sensation, the G7 leaders will actually be dazzled by local talent, as the international theatre company comes from the Charlevoix region.

Two street performers began the circus in the arts haven of Baie-Saint-Paul, Que., about 45 kilometres south of La Malbaie, where the 44th G7 summit is being held.

Also performing Friday as part of the summit's cultural program is Kerson Leong, an internationally recognized solo violinist. Originally from Ottawa, Leong is currently an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium.

Trudeau, U.S. President Donald Trump and other G7 leaders will be serenaded by a cappella band, QW4RTZ, whose style mixes the musical genres of pop and classical with a humorous twist.

Finally, chorister Genevieve Jodoin will sing for the leaders and their spouses. She is known in Quebec for her performances over seven years on the television show, "Belle et Bum."

A mother of three, Jodoin also co-owns an auberge and bistro in Charlevoix that also acts as a concert hall.

Friday's concert is scheduled to take place between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on the terrace outside the hotel, which overlooks the St. Lawrence River.

The G7 is composed of Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, the United States and Japan. A representative of the European Union is also invited to the summit, as are other dignitaries from around the world.

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