The fonds contains materials relating to Walter Joachim’s music career, from his early years in Montreal in the 1950’s to posthumous records and tributes of his life and legacy.
The materials in the fonds reflect Joachim’s professional life, and primarily cover the tour of Shanghai that he completed from 1987-1991 with his wife, and fellow music teacher Monique. The fonds comprises of correspondence with musicians and students, mainly students from China, and a large number of holiday and birthday cards. There is also ephemera from concerts, performances and events, including programs and news clippings represented in the fonds, along with tourist items collected in Shanghai with items like travel itineraries, maps and receipts.
The fonds contains over four hundred photographs that document early portraits of Joachim from the 1950’s to important events such as Joachim’s win at the awards ceremony for the Order of Canada and Quebec (in 1992 and 1995). Joachim and his wife Monique’s tour of Shanghai is well documented with many photographs of them teaching at the Shanghai Conservatory of music and at children’s schools.
Audio cassette tapes of recordings of Joachim’s students and performances are included in the fonds, along with several scores and associated ephemera. The fonds also contains the six medals awarded to Joachim from the Order of Canada, and the Order National du Quebec.