Manitoba born, Vancouver based harpist/vocalist Janelle Nadeau has just released her debut album, 'These Roads'. A refreshing and unexpected approach to the harp, These Roads has soul, heart-felt stories and features multiple instruments to make an album that will reshape the way you think about the classical instrument.'These Roads' is an album that represents the paths Janelle has traveled in her life thus far. It’s a representation of her experiences collected along the roads navigated both at home and around the world including her time in Rwanda and her encounter with the power of forgiveness. “I am so excited that this show represents the unveiling of all my musical and life experiences.” Janelle, a born-and-raised farmer’s daughter from Manitoba, Canada who makes her career as a harpist in Vancouver but each August Janelle returns to the family’s grain farm to help with harvest. Janelle’s small town farming roots, coupled with her humorous and charismatic persona, guarantee engaging music that will capture the hearts of any audience.This classically-trained harpist (graduate of the Harp Performance program at the University of BC, played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs with the Vancouver Opera) plays a variety of music including Celtic, Spanish, popular music as well as her own compositions. While enjoying a career as a classical musician, Janelle’s experience with co-writing opened new doors for her & encouraged her to use her voice, as well as the harp, to express her music.Janelle has toured and played with world-class harpists Kim Robertson, Deborah Henson-Conant, Patrick Ball and has played in the backup band for Kanye West. It's an interesting juxtaposition. In the summer months, the 28-year-old Manitoban operates huge farm machinery, working the fields as a combine and swather operator at her family's grain farm in Fannystelle, about 50 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.For the remainder of the year, Janelle lives and works in Vancouver as a classically-trained harpist.Janelle does not just play the classical harp, but Celtic and electric harp as well."It weighs about 90 pounds with the case and dolly," says Janelle of her six-foot high pedal harp. She herself weighs only 120 pounds but manages to lug her instrument around with ease.A story about one of the roads she traveled on inspired one of the songs called 'Grant Us Pardon', was influenced by Janelle's 2013 visit to Rwanda. At an orphanage where she volunteered, Janelle met with genocide victims, and also had a chance to meet with an African father who was forced into war."He had a wife and eight kids. He had to do the killing in order to guarantee the safety of his own family. That's what the song Grant Us Pardon is about," says Janelle."Who are we to judge, when we don't know everything about a situation? Sometimes people are forced to make decisions that are extremely difficult. At the end of the day, what is needed is forgiveness."While this is Janelle's first CD, she is already an accomplished musician. In 2008, Janelle graduated from the Harp Performance Program at the University of British Columbia. She has been touring western Canada and the Yukon for the last eight years with the acclaimed music group Winter Harp, which performs Celtic, medieval, and classical music. She has toured with the Canada National Youth Orchestra, Home Routes and Manitoba Arts Council. She plays regularly with the Vancouver Opera and has played in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and she has even backed up Kanye West during a Vancouver performance.Janelle's interesting musical history has earned her the respect, and attention of others. Winnipeg radio host Ace Burpee (Virgin Radio 103) recently named Janelle one of 100 Most Fascinating Manitobans of 2013 (Janelle was #51 to be precise).Janelle was also selected as one of five finalists in the On the Coast region of CBC Radio’s Searchlight contest with her song Leavin’ (co-written with Jaylene Johnson and Arun Chaturvedi).Here is one of the lates articles (published in the Manitoban):While the classical harp may not be the most accessible instrument, it was singer-songwriter Janelle Nadeau’s passion at first sight.“My parents took me to the symphony when I was about three-years-old,” says Nadeau. “ It was there that I saw and fell in love with the harp. I then started playing when I was seven-years-old and I never looked back.”Combining aspects of Spanish, Celtic, blues, country, and original music, Nadeau will be releasing her debut album These Roads on Oct. 8 at the West End Cultural Centre (WECC).Although this is her debut album, Nadeau’s resume over the years is wide-ranging. She has toured with such organizations as the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the Manitoba Arts Council.Nadeau has serenaded audiences at close to 200 concerts in care homes and hospitals in working with the Health Arts Society. She even backed up Kanye West during one of his Vancouver shows.On top of being a musician, Nadeau stays true to her roots. While she spends the winter months recording and playing the harp in Vancouver, in the summer months the classically trained harpist can be seen working farm machinery on her family’s grain farm in Fannystelle, Man.In regards to how she transitions from the sprawl of Vancouver to Manitoba farmland, Nadeau says, “All of this just seems so natural and the way it should be.”These Roads can be seen as an account of the uniqueness of Nadeau’s ever changing settings.“I chose this title because I feel that this album is an account of the many roads I have travelled throughout my life,” says Nadeau.“I grew up on Manitoban country roads; I have traveled city roads as well as many around the world. All of these experiences have influenced me, my music and my stories thus creating my debut album These Roads.”Nadeau recruited the assistance of local singer-songwriter Jaylene Johnson to compose the songs. Johnson has had her music featured on programs such as Pretty Little Liars and Degrassi: The Next Generation.The two musicians immediately clicked.“I am so lucky that [Johnson] and I have always been on the same page,” says Nadeau. “We connected from the beginning.“Though most of our interactions have been through songwriting, I told her the other day that I feel like I know her so incredibly well even though we haven’t known each other for a long time. Maybe that’s the magic of songwriting.”The outcome of their relationship has led to seven co-written songs for Nadeau’s album.Nadeau says while the upcoming performance will be harp-heavy in nature, fans should expect more than just strings.With a backing band featuring drums/percussion (Ian Mackie) and added guitar, bass and vocals (Stephen Fisk), Nadeau’s live performance will not be made up entirely of classic harp music and will also feature Nadeau sharing introspective stories behind the music.“It’s not a typical harp concert,” she says.