Shirley Blois Lindsay

(1917-2004)

Shirley Blois was born in Truro, NS, the daughter of Fred and Grace (Cox) Blois. Shirley’s father was a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1937 until 1945, leading the provincial Progressive Conservative Party for a number of those years. Mr. Blois was appointed as a Senator by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in 1960, serving until he retired in 1976. Shirley began to study music in her home town and participated from an early age in the Truro Music Festival. Created in 1922, it is the fifth oldest competitive music festival in North America. Two awards in her name continue to be awarded annually at the Truro festival, the Shirley Blois Cup for female performer 8 and younger and the Shirley Blois Scholarship for Vocal Performance for a singer 16 and older.

Shirley was a music student at Acadia University from 1934 until 1938, earning both a Licentiate and a Bachelor of Music. While at Acadia, she participated in the newly created Halifax Competitive Music Festival, as it was originally called, winning the I.O.D.E. (i.e., Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire) Cup for Girl’s Solo, High Voice, in 1937. In later years, Shirley and her husband established the Shirley Blois Scholarship in Early Music which is awarded annually to a student of Acadia’s School of Music.

Following her graduation from university, Shirley Blois continued her vocal studies at the Halifax Conservatory of Music, where Dr. Ernesto Vinci had recently become Head of the Voice Department. When some years later Dr. Vinci joined the faculty of the Toronto (now Royal) Conservatory of Music, Shirley continued her studies with him there, before transferring to the famed Julliard School of Music in New York.

Shirley Blois—later Shirley Blois Lindsay—was to remain closely connected to music for the rest of her long life, as a performer, teacher, philanthropist, and promoter.

In New York City, Shirley joined the staff of the Dillar-Quaile School of Music, where she was a pioneer of teaching music to very young children; later she became the School’s Director. Moving with her husband to Georgia and then Florida, she became a supporter and benefactor of the Savannah and Jacksonville symphony orchestras. In Savannah, she was the driving force in the formation of the Savanah Youth Orchestra.

When the Conservatory moved into its current home on Chebucto Road, Shirley was generous in supporting the restoration of its historic building, covering the costs of renovating one of the rooms. In recognition of the financial assistance she provided, in 2004 Shirley Blois Lindsay was one of eight individuals named as Honourees.

One-time voice student at what was then called the Halifax Conservatory of Music, Shirley Blois Lindsay has left an important legacy as performer, educator, and benefactor.