| Suzie LeBlanc visits Grand-Pré |
 |
 |
 |
Suzie LeBlanc visits Grand-PréSeptember 21, 2009Grand-Pré, September 21, 2009: Suzie LeBlanc, the internationally renowned Acadian soprano, spent several hours at Grand-Pré National Historic Site last Thursday. She was being interviewed for a Radio-Canada program that will be broadcast on line throughout the month of November. Radio-Canada host Françoise Davoine is doing a series of in-depth interviews with Canadian musicians for Espace classique, the web-radio of Espace musique. Since the interviews have a visual component, Davoine had the interesting idea of asking the musicians to choose the public place where they would like to be interviewed. Suzie LeBlanc chose Grand-Pré. Consequently, Françoise Davoine came down from Montreal to interview her at Grand-Pré on various topics including her passion for baroque music and her future projects. At the end of the interview, which was recorded outdoors, Suzie LeBlanc sang the popular Acadian song “Évangéline” and several verses of the old hymn “Tout passe.” It was a very moving moment for the small group of people who were able to see Suzie LeBlanc perform in such meaningful surroundings. Before leaving Grand-Pré, she explained that she wanted to be interviewed in Grand-Pré because “it has become a magnificent historic site and it is an important pilgrimage destination for many Acadians. It’s impossible to enter the memorial church without feeling affinity and compassion for our ancestors.” On a more personal note, she said that whenever she sets foot in Grand-Pré she can’t help but think of the hymn “Tout passe” that the Acadians sang as they advanced towards the boats that would eventually separate them from their families. “That hymn is the title song of my second CD of Acadian songs and it is particularly meaningful to me, especially since my cousin Pius LeBlanc presented me with the sheet music for it after a concert I gave in Memramcook in 2005. I’m very grateful to him because I’d never heard of the hymn before.” She also feels attached to Grand-Pré because it would appear that her great-grandfather Philippe LeBlanc did the woodwork and made the window frames for the present-day church at Grand-Pré that was built in 1922. Before coming to Grand-Pré National Historic Site, Suzie LeBlanc gave a master class at Acadia University in Wolfville. While she was there she took the opportunity to visit the archives to examine a collection of objects that originally belonged to the poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) and to her family. For a number of years, Ms LeBlanc has been very interested in the life and work of this American poet who grew up in Nova Scotia and whose centennial will be celebrated in 2011. Suzie LeBlanc is in charge of the musical events that will take place during the Bishop Festival (www.elizabethbishopns.org). Suzie LeBlanc has recently moved to Nova Scotia from Montreal, in part to devote herself to a multimedia project on Elizabeth Bishop, but above all to live by the sea, her source of inspiration and renewal. For further information on Suzie LeBlanc, see le www.suzieleblanc.com.
Sally Ross The Société Promotion Grand-Pré is a non-profit organization representing the Acadian community that collaborates with Parks Canada to ensure the development and integrity of Grand-Pré National Historic Site. Contact: Victor Tétrault |
Main Menu
 |
|
Feel the heartbeat of Old Acadie - still vibrant and proud! |
 |
|
Proud to be a |