Obituary for Doreen Hulme
July 14, 1926 – July 2, 2022
Passed away at the Sault Area Hospital on July 2, 2022. Doreen leaves behind her daughter Norma Jeanne Basteris (Mulhinch), son in law Luis F. Basteris and grandson Matthew J. Critch. She is predeceased by her husband Thomas Purnell Mulhinch, parents Ethel (nee House) and Norman Hulme, and sister Norma Mae Hemy.
Doreen Hume, coloratura soprano, international singing star and theatre performer. Honoree on the Sault Ste Marie Walk of Fame, Bon Soo judge and voice teacher in the Sault. At 18, Doreen left the Sault to study music and voice at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She became a well-established singer on Canadian radio and television, before moving to Britain in the early 50s, to further her singing career. She returned many times over the following years for concerts in Toronto and Sault Ste Marie. When the (previous) Sault Gardens Arena was inaugurated, Doreen was asked to perform the opening concert.
In Britain, her weekly BBC radio shows were heard across western Europe, and broadcast on H.M. Forces Radio programming. Doreen gave invitational concerts in Denmark, Holland, Italy, all of the British Isles, as well as military bases in Cyprus, Malta, North Africa, and Aden (Yemen). Every summer, she was part of a 3-month-long seasonal variety show at seaside theatres in Blackpool, Great Yarmouth, Torquay, and Brighton. She performed many concerts at the Royal Festival Hall, Albert Hall, and Oratorio works at Canterbury and Salisbury Cathedrals. Her live broadcasts with the BBC Concert Orchestra, were presented before audiences in London and frequently traveled to concert venues in cities around Britain. One of her favourite concerts occurred in Italy, when Doreen and the BBC Radio Orchestra represented Britain in a European Song Contest. It was an open-air concert held before thousands of spectators in Venice’s renowned Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square).
Doreen's career included well over two thousand live broadcasts, hundreds of concert and stage performances, more than three hundred variety show appearances, and she made many commercial recordings of popular Broadway and West End shows. Her voice was versatile, from musical comedy to more challenging operatic works, at which she excelled. No commercial recordings were made of her classical repertoire, although an admirer of her talent used to tape her "Friday Night is Music Night" broadcasts and made copies as gifts to her.
It was an illustrious singing career for this Sault home-town girl. Doreen was frequently introduced to her audiences as "The Canadian Songbird".
When Doreen retired from the stage in 1970, she returned to Toronto and later moved to Elliott Lake, Ontario. There, she put her performing arts experience to work with local amateur theatre groups. She produced and directed "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Sound of Music", allowing local talent the opportunity to experience the joy of singing and acting on stage.
Doreen spent the last 25 years in Elliot Lake until, at 95, her declining health required full-time care at Maple View in Sault Ste Marie.
Three very special women were Doreen's care team at Sault Area Hospital, Dr. George and nurses Megan and Amanda. Their kind and thoughtful treatment of both Doreen and her close family is deeply appreciated.
Interment of cremated remains will take place in October. Memorial donations can be made to the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society (payable online or by cheque).
Passed away at the Sault Area Hospital on July 2, 2022. Doreen leaves behind her daughter Norma Jeanne Basteris (Mulhinch), son in law Luis F. Basteris and grandson Matthew J. Critch. She is predeceased by her husband Thomas Purnell Mulhinch, parents Ethel (nee House) and Norman Hulme, and sister Norma Mae Hemy.
Doreen Hume, coloratura soprano, international singing star and theatre performer. Honoree on the Sault Ste Marie Walk of Fame, Bon Soo judge and voice teacher in the Sault. At 18, Doreen left the Sault to study music and voice at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She became a well-established singer on Canadian radio and television, before moving to Britain in the early 50s, to further her singing career. She returned many times over the following years for concerts in Toronto and Sault Ste Marie. When the (previous) Sault Gardens Arena was inaugurated, Doreen was asked to perform the opening concert.
In Britain, her weekly BBC radio shows were heard across western Europe, and broadcast on H.M. Forces Radio programming. Doreen gave invitational concerts in Denmark, Holland, Italy, all of the British Isles, as well as military bases in Cyprus, Malta, North Africa, and Aden (Yemen). Every summer, she was part of a 3-month-long seasonal variety show at seaside theatres in Blackpool, Great Yarmouth, Torquay, and Brighton. She performed many concerts at the Royal Festival Hall, Albert Hall, and Oratorio works at Canterbury and Salisbury Cathedrals. Her live broadcasts with the BBC Concert Orchestra, were presented before audiences in London and frequently traveled to concert venues in cities around Britain. One of her favourite concerts occurred in Italy, when Doreen and the BBC Radio Orchestra represented Britain in a European Song Contest. It was an open-air concert held before thousands of spectators in Venice’s renowned Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square).
Doreen's career included well over two thousand live broadcasts, hundreds of concert and stage performances, more than three hundred variety show appearances, and she made many commercial recordings of popular Broadway and West End shows. Her voice was versatile, from musical comedy to more challenging operatic works, at which she excelled. No commercial recordings were made of her classical repertoire, although an admirer of her talent used to tape her "Friday Night is Music Night" broadcasts and made copies as gifts to her.
It was an illustrious singing career for this Sault home-town girl. Doreen was frequently introduced to her audiences as "The Canadian Songbird".
When Doreen retired from the stage in 1970, she returned to Toronto and later moved to Elliott Lake, Ontario. There, she put her performing arts experience to work with local amateur theatre groups. She produced and directed "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Sound of Music", allowing local talent the opportunity to experience the joy of singing and acting on stage.
Doreen spent the last 25 years in Elliot Lake until, at 95, her declining health required full-time care at Maple View in Sault Ste Marie.
Three very special women were Doreen's care team at Sault Area Hospital, Dr. George and nurses Megan and Amanda. Their kind and thoughtful treatment of both Doreen and her close family is deeply appreciated.
Interment of cremated remains will take place in October. Memorial donations can be made to the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society (payable online or by cheque).