Baie-Comeau Music Club

Baie-Comeau Music Club

The first performance organized by the Baie-Comeau Music Club took place on September 21, 1942. It was founded in 1942 by Phil Leclerc, Jos Cantin, Edgar Ouellet, Jean Elsliger, and Mrs. Alice Lane.

This new structure’s mandate is to organize musical performances. Its funding comes from the sale of $5 membership cards and from the Quebec North Shore Paper Company.

In 1944, two years after the club’s creation, there were 343 members out of a population of 2,387. This represents 14% of the municipality. Knowing that only 65 passes for children aged 6 to 12 were available, we can assume that this percentage is higher if we only consider the adult population.

Renowned artists performed for the people of Baie-Comté, including Jesús María Sanromá, pianist, James de la Fuente and Samuel Sorin, violinist and pianist respectively, Zino Francescatti, violinist, Alys Robi, singer, The MGM Theatre of the Air (and its Hollywood stars Marion Claire, George Kitson, Attilio Baggiore, Henry Weber) Nino Martini, tenor.

The performances took place in the community center’s badminton gymnasium, which could hold 500 spectators. Performances also took place at St. Amélie and St. Andrew and St. George churches during Sunday services.

Special attention was paid to lumberjacks and children to ensure they had the opportunity to hear these artists. Time slots, usually in the morning, were dedicated to children. The artists also traveled to the camps to perform for the lumberjacks.

The club presented musical concerts until 1965, when Mrs. Lane left.