Born Emma Lajeunesse, Quebec’s first diva rose to fame under the name of Emma Albani, one she borrowed from the state capital of New York. The local clergy of that city viewed her much more favourably than the one of her native province, who thwarted her dream of going to Europe, deeming it too dangerous for pure souls to work in theatres abroad. But her story reveals the level of indifference towards the arts of that time, when artists were denied access to wider recognition. In 1911, the Liberal government of Quebec premier Lomer Gouin created the Concours Prix…
