Madame Bolduc on tour… First stop Sudbury!
The Centre franco-ontarien de folklore, in collaboration with Collège Boréal, are presenting the Madame Bolduc on tour exhibition for the very first time outside the walls of the Musée de la Gaspésie. From July 19 to mid-November, the Alphonse-Desjardins Resource Centre (library) at Collège Boréal in Sudbury will host this bilingual exhibition produced by the Musée de la Gaspésie, which highlights the unique journey of the “Canadian Queen of Folk Singing”. The exhibition is an retraces different stages of her life that culminated in the creation of her Troupe du bon vieux temps, with whom she traveled the roads of Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick in the 1930s.
From Gaspésie to the stage
Originally from Gaspé and a proud ambassador of her native region, Madame Bolduc’s notoriety extended throughout the province of Quebec and several French-speaking regions of Canada, and even the United States. Although gifted with musical talent, there were no early signs that Madame Bolduc would become one of the most popular singers of the 1930s. Through her comical songs with evocative lyrics combined with a contagious enthusiasm, she set herself apart from the norm and enjoyed sincere appreciation on the part of audiences she met while touring the Canadian Francophonie and the Northeastern United States.
A collection never presented elsewhere
The exhibition showcases archival documents and artifacts from these tours, including her stage costumes and jewelry, musical instruments, and letters she wrote to her children when she was away. Particular attention was also paid to selecting objects related to the places where the exhibition will be presented, such as posters of shows that Madame Bolduc did in these cities and towns. The exhibition, which is free, can be visited Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Collège Boréal’s Alphonse-Desjardins Resource Centre, located at 21 Lasalle Boulevard in Sudbury.
