At 97, Sherbrooke woman looks back on a life in music, holds massive party
Lois Ogilvie Blanchette's wish for her 97th birthday was to have Céline Dion perform the song she wrote for the superstar years ago.
But when Blanchette, who is a seasoned performer herself, learned that wouldn't be possible, she settled on a party instead, and invited everyone she knows.
Blanchette's professional music career began in the 1940s as a violinist and singer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She was also a member of the Leslie Bell Singers, one of the most popular choirs in the country in the 1940s and 1950s.
Though her vocal chords have since lost their power, she still plays the violin, usually dressed in a formal gown.
Looking back on her career, she says her musical talent almost went undiscovered. It wasn't until her parents put her in private violin lessons that she realized what it was possible to do with the instrument.
"That's when the violin started to behave itself," Blanchette said.
Her gift for singing was discovered even later. She had been to see a movie with Deanna Durbin, the great Canadian soprano, and started singing when she returned home.
"I just took a high "C" just like that," she said.
From Toronto to Sherbrooke
Originally from Ottawa, Blanchette left to join the Toronto symphony. In 1950 she married a man from the Eastern Townships, and the couple moved to Sherbrooke.
She quickly discovered the local music scene. Blanchette met a woman who sang in a choir that needed a new director. When they got wind of her experience they enlisted her help.
"I said 'I've never directed anything in my life like that.'" But she gave it a try anyway. "I fell in love with it, and that's how I became a choir director," she said.
After that, choral groups seemed to form around Blanchette wherever she went.
"There were eight of them in all; some were big, some were small," she said.
Happy memories of performing at Expo 67
Some of Blanchette's favourite memories include writing children's stories and reading them over the airwaves on Sherbrooke's community radio station.
But she says one memory stands out above all others: singing at Expo 67. Blanchette's choir at the time, La chorale de L'Amitié, performed three times at the event.
She can still recall the girls of the choir taking their place on stage as a slight wind kicked up and swept the singers light pink dresses just a little behind them.
The audience started applauding even before the performance began. "I loved that moment because I realized they fell in love with the girls of my choir when they saw them," Blanchette said.
Blanchette enjoys writing music too. One of her most recent compositions is a piece she wrote with Celine Dion in mind.
When the Wish of a Lifetime Foundation offered to grant her a wish for her 97th birthday, Blanchette says she didn't hesitate.
"I would have loved to have her see it at least, and maybe if she saw it should would have sung it," Blanchette said. "But that wasn't possible."
Open-invitation to a birthday party
Her second wish, however, has been made possible thanks to the help of Luce Bessette, the leisure and activity coordinator at the Chartwell retirement residence where Blanchette lives.
Blanchette told Bessette that she wanted to have a party at the residence for her birthday. But Bessette encouraged her to think bigger.
"'I said no, that's not enough, we have to do something very big for you,' so we're having a huge party at Uplands Cultural and Heritage Centre in Lennoxville," Bessette said.
The event is being put on by the Wish of a Lifetime Foundation, which aims to celebrate older generations.
There are going to be stations showcasing different periods of Blanchette's life all around the centre, such as when she was a volunteer and a model. There will be a power-point presentation and, of course, a big cake.
The party starts at Uplands at 1:30 p.m. Several buses from the Chartwell residence will be shuttling Blanchette's friends over.
"We've even invited the mayor," Blanchette said.
