Jean Baptiste "John" Arcand, CM (born July 19, 1942, in Jackson Lake, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian fiddler, composer, teacher, and luthier.
Arcand has been composing and performing since childhood, having learned the traditional Métis tunes from his father Victor and his grandfather Jean-Baptiste.
[6] While neither John's father or grandfather composed music, they played traditional Métis tunes such as jigs and reels for dancing.
[2] Arcand began his involvement with fiddle contests in 1970, winning the championship class at "Back to Batoche Days" in 1971.
[6] Arcand worked as a project coordinator at the Gabriel Dumont Institute in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
This is a four CD set containing over 150 fiddle tunes performed by 12 master Metis fiddlers including Gilbert Anderson, Trent Bruner (pianist), Richard Callihoo, Henry Gardipy, Emile Lavallee, Albert 'Hap' Boyer, Garry Lapine, John Arcand, Mel Bedard, Richard Lafferty, Homer Poitras and Ed Lafferty.
An accompanying book was also released, with sheet music for every song in the compilation, as well as biographies of the performers, and a detailed look at the history and cultural importance of Metis fiddling.
With Vollrath, he established the Emma Lake Fiddle Camp, operated by the Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange Society.