LGBTQ+ History Month Cajun Music Showcase

A night of Cajun music played by queer artists from around Acadiana, a celebration of the queer history of our local community through music featuring Gina Forsyth,  Jan Boney, Sam Wróbel, Rosemary Benoit, and Maegen Benoit.

Gina Forsyth is a Gulf-coast musician, currently based in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, with deep roots in New Orleans. She is an award-winning singer/songwriter who is known for her wizardry on guitar and fiddle, primarily lending her skills to such groups as the Mid-City Aces and Bruce Daigrepont, as well as her various solo projects.

Jan Boney is a Cajun guitarist and vocalist based in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. She has dedicated her life's work to helping the French language flourish in her home state, whether it be through coaching fellow musicians in the local dialect, sharing it with students, or participating in Cajun jams across Acadiana.

Sam Wróbel is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who lends his skills on bass to local Cajun band the 99 Playboys, but who enjoys playing a variety of music, from classical to honky tonk. Sam is also a Polish paper-cutting artist who uses the folk art of wycinanki to interpret life in Louisiana.

Rosemary Benoit has played Cajun music for audiences across Acadiana since the young age of five, lending her accordion and fiddle skills to The Young Aces of Cajun Music, Josh Johnson and the Beagle Ranch Ramblers, Lee Benoit & the Bayou Stompers and others, as well as her own group, Mary Tweedel and the Louisiana Cajun Mixers.

Since 2003, Maegen Benoit has sang and played drums and various percussion instruments as well as mandolin with the Lee Benoit Family Band. In 2022, she won the Cajun French Music Association "Female Vocalist of the Year" award for the album "Revisité," which also won "Best Traditional CD of the Year."