Accession number: 2022-09
Suzanne LeBlanc was born in Moncton, N.B. in 1956 to an Acadian father and American mother with ties to Aberdeen, Scotland. She completed her primary education in French and her high school education in English. In September 1974, Suzanne began her studies at Mount Saint Vincent University where she majored in English and minored in History and French. While at the Mount, Suzanne was the secretary for the university choir, led by Sister Margaret Young. Suzanne remained the choir secretary until she graduated in 1977 but continued to have a life-long passion for classical music.
Suzanne continued her studies at McGill University, graduating with a Master’s in Library Science in 1979. Soon afterwards, she was hired by the Bank of Canada in Ottawa, working primarily in the library but eventually on specific projects concentrating on metadata and digital information in the organization. The metadata standard she created is still largely used at the organization to this day. She had a long and illustrious career with the Bank of Canada, retiring in 2012.
Published
Full
Final
Title based on the contents of the records.
The fonds consists of records related to the MSVU choir from the period 1974-1977. The choir was under the direction Sister Margaret Young and these records were accumulated by choir secretary and student member Suzanne LeBlanc. The MSVU choir was “reorganized” in the fall of 1974 and by 1976 had become one of the largest and most active groups on campus with approximately 50 members who met twice a week at the Cardinal Cushing Auditorium in Vincent Hall. All members of the university community, including student, faculty and staff, were part of the choir. The choir participated in a number of performances in a variety of genres, including musical theatre, pop, traditional, folk, rock, classical and religious.
The fonds consists primarily of a scrapbook which contains photographs, newspaper clippings and ephemera (such as announcements, performance flyers, tickets, memos, notes). Choir performances covered in the scrapbook include Christmas dinners, spring concerts, productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Raggedy-Ann’s Christmas, Board of Governors meetings, and talent shows. Photographs are of choir students, rehearsals, performances, and Vinnie the bear and choir mascot.
Other records in the fonds include sheet music of songs sung by the choir and individual programs of choir performances including baccalaureate mass, the canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton, and the installation of Sister Mary Albertus as president of MSVU. The fonds also contains some personal records from Suzanne LeBlanc’s time as a student, including her convocation program and dinner invitation, a book cover, and a greeting card she received for her service as choir secretary. Finally, the fonds also contains 2 sound recordings on audio cassette which contain a recording of a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well as a general choir concert.
Donated by Suzanne LeBlanc in 2022 with a further accrual received in 2023.
The records were accumulated by Suzanne LeBlanc during her time as choir secretary at MSVU and were kept by her until she donated them to the Mount in 2022. In 2023, a further accrual was acquired.
Sound recordings will require specific playback machines. Please contact Archivist for further information.
Copyright Mount Saint Vincent University Archives, unless otherwise noted in the records.
A fonds-level file list is attached.