Jeanne Dusseau

Jeanne Dusseau
Jeanne Dusseau, from a 1929 publication
Born
Ruth Cleveland Thom

2 February 1893
Scotland, U.K.
Died1979
Washington, D.C., U.S.
OccupationSoprano singer

Jeanne Dusseau (2 February 1893 – February 1979), born Ruth Cleveland Thom, was a Canadian soprano singer born in Scotland. She sang with the Chicago Opera for the 1921–1922 season, toured Canada through much of the 1920s, and performed with the Sadler's Wells Opera from 1936 to 1940.

Early life and education

Dusseau was born in Scotland and raised in Toronto,[1] the daughter of James Thom and Charlotte Christine MacDonald Thom.[2] She trained as a singer with M. M. Stevenson and Giuseppe Carboni.[3]

Career

Dusseau was a soprano.[3] She toured across Canada in 1928, singing in folk music festivals supported by the National Museum of Canada and the Association of Canadian Clubs.[4][5] She appeared at the CPR Festivals, music events sponsored by Canadian Pacific Railway, between 1927 and 1931.[3][6][7] In 1929, she sang with the Toronto Symphony[8] and was a soloist in a Toronto performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion.[9] In 1930 she sang French-Canadian chansons on a national radio broadcast,[10][11] and was voted one of Canada's favorite radio performers.[12] She was honored at a reception in Toronto in 1934.[13]

Beyond Canada, Dusseau sang with the Chicago Opera in its 1921–1922 season.[14] While there, she appeared as Ninette in the world premiere of The Love of Three Oranges (1921).[3] She first performed in London at Wigmore Hall in 1929, and sang in New York,[15] Boston,[16] and Louisiana in 1932.[17][18] In 1936, she was a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.[19] She was with the Sadler's Wells Opera from 1936 to 1940.[3][20] She returned to North America during World War II.[21][22]

Dusseau taught voice in New York City and Washington, D.C. in her later years.[3] One of her students was Canadian soprano Frances James.[23]

Personal life

Dusseau married Canadian baritone Victor Lambert Dusseau in 1919. They had two sons, Peter and Michael,[24] and two daughters: Helene[25] and Rita,[26] who sang under the name Terry Swope.[27][28] Her husband died in 1974,[24] and Dusseau died in 1979, in her eighties, in Washington, D.C.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Old Land Reclaims Mme. Jeanne Dusseau". The Toronto Star. 1931-03-21. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Mme. Dusseau's Mother Dies". The New York Times. August 21, 1939. p. 8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  3. ^ a b c d e f McPherson, James B. (30 July 2007). "Jeanne Dusseau". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  4. ^ Keillor, Elaine (2021-02-19). "Barbeau Encouraging 'The Study, Appreciation and Enjoyment of the Folk Music of Canada in All Its Aspects'". In Hoefnagels, Anna; Smith, Gordon E. (eds.). Folk Music, Traditional Music, Ethnomusicology: Canadian Perspectives, Past and Present. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-5275-6638-5.
  5. ^ "The Canadian Folk-Song Festival in Quebec". Theatre Magazine: 50. August 1927.
  6. ^ "Scottish Festival at Banff in Canadian Rockies". The Elevator Constructor. 24 (9): 30. September 1927.
  7. ^ "Sea Music Festival Held at Vancouver, B.C." Music and Musicians. 15 (1): 3. February 1929.
  8. ^ "Toronto Symphony Concerts". Musical Canada. 10 (2): 25. February 1929.
  9. ^ "Bach's St. Matthew Passion Successfully Performed in Toronto". Musical Canada. 10 (4): 4. April 1929.
  10. ^ "Jeanne Dusseau on CNRT To-Morrow 5 P.M." The Toronto Star. 1930-01-04. p. 18. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "French Chansons on Radio Program; Jeanne Dusseau, Soprano, to be Featured on C.P.R. Chain". Edmonton Journal. 1930-04-25. p. 28. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Canadians Choose Concert Artists as Favorite Radio Performers". Public Opinion. 1930-07-19. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Guests Throng to Honor Madame Jeanne Dusseau". The Toronto Star. 1934-01-31. p. 36. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  14. ^ Bridle, Augustus (1921-10-13). "Young Toronto Singer Gives Farewell Recital". The Toronto Star. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Jeanne Dusseau Sings". The New York Times. October 8, 1932. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  16. ^ "Merle Alcock and Jeanne Dusseau to be Handel and Haydn Soloists". The Boston Globe. 1932-04-02. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Newspaper Critics Laud Voice of Woman Who Sings Here Next Week". The Times. 1932-11-13. p. 18. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Toronto Songstress Charms New Orleans". The Toronto Star. 1932-12-03. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Singers at Final Concerts". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1936-04-23. p. 18. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Jeanne Dusseau Sang Through the London Air Raids of 1940". The Boston Globe. 1944-03-12. p. 23. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Jeanne Dusseau to Assist Ruth Draper at War Relief Benefit on May 30 at Long Branch School". The Daily Standard. 1941-05-22. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Bridle, August (1941-10-29). "Big Crowd Thrills to Jeanne Dusseau". The Toronto Star. p. 12. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Leading Soprano Returns to Home City for Recital". Saint John Times Globe. 1947-10-14. p. 12. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b "Obituary for V. Lambert Dusseau". The Toronto Star. 1974-03-21. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Helene Dusseau Wed to Harry P. Furniss; Sister of Rita Dusseau Bride of Flying Officer". The Toronto Star. 1941-02-24. p. 20. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Toronto Girl One Heroine of Bomb-Scarred London". The Toronto Star. 1940-10-10. p. 26. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Opera Star Sings of British Spirit; Jeanne Dusseau Returns from London". The Gazette. 1940-10-10. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Proud Mother". Press of Atlantic City. 1948-12-19. p. 31. Retrieved 2025-05-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Jeanne Dusseau in the U.S. Social Security Death Index, via Ancestry.
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