Oral History Interview with Connie Cote December 10Th, 1997 Ann Breau, Interviewer
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Oral History Interview with Connie Cote December 10th, 1997 Ann Breau, Interviewer Ann Breau: Okay, I’m meeting with Connie Cote – it is December 10th – at her home in Auburn, Maine. I want to thank you Connie for agreeing to meet. It is indeed a privilege to have you agree to do this. We are collecting some information for the Franco American archives at LA College. We are particularly interested in obtaining information on people that have had significant impact in the musical area. I would like to start off by just getting some general background information that you would like to share; age, place of birth, children, anything like that to provide some kind of background. Connie Cote: I am 70 years, old; I was born Nov. 17, 1927. I was the wife of Bert Cote, a well known musician and we have three children, Diane, Elaine and Bill. Diane is a teacher in New York, married with two children. Elaine is also a teacher and has one child. Bill is a lawyer, practicing here in Lewiston. AB: Thank you. I would like to know about your early inclinations regarding music. Were you aware of you inclination as a young child, when did this start developing or when was that interest piqued in your life? CC: My mother was very musical; she started to take me to the music concerts that they had in those days at the age of 11 years old. I remember they used to have concerts in Portland and in Augusta. They filled up a bus and I was the only young one in the bus. She exposed me to these concerts, which presented opera singers like James Melton and Risë Stevens. This is when I thought that one day I wanted to be on stage do something like this. I started piano lessons at the age of 10. I started with the Dominican sisters at St. Peter’s school and of course, my mother was always there to send me to practice. She did push, it was the only way, I think, that anyone will get to practice. Instead of washing dishes or wiping dishes, “No no, I will do them, you go practice.” It was nice to go to the piano rather than do housework and the dishes. My dad was a great singer. He had a wonderful tenor voice, - Willie Lebrun – he was a member of the Orphéon at that time. On Sunday nights we used to get together, at that young age; I used to accompany dad. This is how it all started, with the community concerts that went on for years and years here in Lewiston/Auburn. AB: Now who sponsored – was there a sponsorship with community concerts? CC: It was a big organization here in town that sponsored the community concert. It was a big board of directors. They used to attract wonderful […] from all over the world. It was just wonderful, just marvelous. I wished they had this today. AB: This I can interpret as maybe the predecessor to LA Arts, but it was more locally based or - ? CC: It was locally based; it was a group of volunteers who served. It was a prestigious board and it was an honor to serve on that board, I remember at that time. My mother, of course, being musical, made sure I practiced even before I went to school in the morning. I would get up early in the morning and would get my practicing in. While I was in St. Peter’s school, Father Drouin – the late Fr. Drouin – asked the organist at St. Peter’s to teach me how to play the organ; the church paid for the lessons. I began accompanying the choir, the children’s choir from St. Peter’s School. AB: May I ask how old you were then? CC: I was 12 years old. I went on to accompany the 8 o’clock mass, then it was playing at the 10:15 mass. At that time I had gone from the [Dominican] Sisters to Professor Blanche Belleau [founder of Lewiston group, Le Foyer Musicale] – studying under Professor Blanche Belleau – and she used to attend masses which I played. She would say, “You distract me.” She had told me that you cannot be both an organist and a pianist; you’ve got to be one or the other. She was always puzzled, she would say, “I can‘t tell with you.” That was kind of gratifying. I did play the organ at St. Peter’s Church for 6 or 7 years, I believe. When they dedicated the Casavant Organ at St. Peters church, they had this Charles Courtbois , celebrated organist, at St. Patrick’s Church, give the concert. I was invited to play for Mr. Courtbois by my teacher and play the Toccata in D Minor by Bach; I was 14 years old. He thought I was a child prodigy. I continued to play at St. Peter’s church, the superior church at the time, and that was a magnificent organ. It was just wonderful. In 1946, when I was a senior in high school, Professor Belleau presented me in a concert at which was by invitation. Everyone wore long gowns there and it was at the Philharmonic Club. She had told me that it was the close to being a debutant, to coming out. I believe there were 400 people that attended the concert. It was the first time that my mother had ever worn an evening gown. I remember receiving my 45 bouquets of flowers. I had played all of the selections from memory, from the Campanella by Franz Liszt to Chopin’s Polonaises who by the way was my favorite composer, classical composer. At the time I was accompanying local artists. We had some wonderful talent – singers – here in the two cities and I was probably the only one who could play these classical selections as an accompanist. On Sunday mornings I was always accompanying these people on the live radio show, “Le Messenger” […?] and did this for several years. AB: May I ask, you mentioned – was it the Philharmonic? CC: The Philharmonic Club on Main Street in Auburn. AB: Oh, it was Main St. in Auburn. I can’t quite place it geographically. Does it still exist? CC: I don’t believe so; it was a large hall, had a nice concert grand [piano] and they had concerts; lots of music teachers in the area – Lewiston-Auburn area – presented their pupils at this. The acoustics were great, it was a great hall. It was on the second floor. I couldn’t give you the directions to where it was but it was there for years, and years, and years. AB: Now I would like to also ask – obviously your parents had an influence – were there any other family members that were musical such as, siblings, aunts, uncles? If you were a phenomenon or if you felt that it was an extension of your entire family was musical? CC: No, not really, not that I know of, not that I know of. I don’t recall anyone [else] in my family. AB: Did people question, “Where does that talent come from?” You know how people often do when there is an exceptional talent. CC: Well at the time I was so young playing on the radio accompanying people and being church organist at St. Peter’s. I didn’t always hear the praises but my mother used to tell me. It was gratifying, I enjoyed it. I remember getting up in the morning, particularly my senior year in high school and practicing; putting in four hours a day preparing for that concert. In the afternoon after school – I attended the high school at St. Peter’s my freshman and sophomore year – we went to school until 4 o’clock in the afternoon, then I would walk over to St. Peter’s church and practice the organ for an hour, then walk home. You don’t see this anymore. AB: Yes, that is true dedication for one’s art. In looking back on that can – I don’t know if you have even tried to analyze it – but was it something just inherent or was it something that was a challenge, a discipline, or was it a combination of both? CC: I was a very serious child I was told. Mother doesn’t remember bringing me up, she said. I have two brothers and she remembers bringing them up. I was very serious and I must have enjoyed it. I am one who, when she starts something, likes to see it accomplished, well done. It was easy; it was easy and enjoyable practicing. AB: That is wonderful. So obviously it came naturally to you from what you are saying. That is wonderful. With your other – you mentioned the connections to church and the schools – were there other musical influences in the immediate environment or the environment beyond, in terms of life aspirations? You were very successful here. CC: Well, my answer to this is – I attended the New England Conservatory in a […?] one summer and I met Bert Cote and decided that I would take modern music. He had heard of me and stopped to talk to me at the corner of Lisbon and Pine [Streets in Lewiston]. It was the Simpson’s Hardware Store and Bert was in the luggage department. He said that “I heard that you wanted to take modern piano lessons?” I said, “Yes I do.” I went over for a lesson and we ended up playing Chopin’s Polonaises from memory.