Lina Mathon-Blanchet

Founding several folkloric troupes, she led her artists on tours throughout the United States and was noted as a teacher and mentor to many prominent Haitian performers.

[1] Upon returning to Haiti, Mathon began giving piano lessons[1] and on 10 December 1924 married Arthur Margron,[2] with whom she had a son, Reynold (1925–1926).

[8] She defied local customs and in 1938, presented a group of students from Ecole Maud Turian, where she taught voice, in a performance of songs in Haitian Creole.

[1] In 1941, Mathon-Fussman was selected by Élie Lescot, soon to be president of Haiti to attend the National Folk Festival in Washington, D.C., with fifteen students[10] who called their group the Legba Singers.

[1] The selection of her group was controversial because the organizers initially wanted authentic Vodou artists, but cautioned that they should ensure that they must perform "without spirit possession ensuing".

At the time, the Catholic Church in Haiti was waging an anti-superstition campaign throughout the country and Mathon-Fussman and her students were arrested, though she was able to secure their release.

The gathering marked the first time that Vodou had officially been acknowledged as part of Haiti's cultural heritage, though that acceptance was tempered by a transformation of ritual into stylized choreography.

[16] There was backlash from the community, which began to stigmatize the dance troupe members as practitioners of black magic, as well as fear that "contamination" might occur.

[26] Mathon-Blanchet's nephew, Férère Laguerre, a student of hers and a colleague, founded the Choeur Simidor, for which she composed and arranged music.

II, composed in 1952 featuring a popular folk song and two méringues; a string quartet Contes et Légendes composed and archived at the Catholic University of America; and five arranged folks songs, Kim’ba la, La souce o m’pralé, Mé-mé, Pinga ma hi roulé, and Souflé vent are some of her known scores.

[32] Among her students were: Frisner Augustin,[33] Raymond Baillargau who played under the stage name of Ti Roro,[1] Lumane Casimir,[34] Micheline Laudun Denis, Yole Dérose,[1] Jean-Léon Destiné,[35] Jacky Duroseau, James Germain, Martha Jean-Claude, Emerante Morse[1] and Guy Scott.