The Roots of Choral Music in Brantford

Brantford has a rich choral tradition going right back to its early days. Starting with the Brantford Choral Union of the 1860's, right up to today with the Grand River Chorus and the Brantford Children’s Chorus, choral music has always been a force on our music scene. Often sparked by new arrivals to local churches in our area, groups as diverse as the Brantford Male Chorus (1901 - 05), the Schubert Choir (1906 – 1941), the Canadian Choir (1928-45), and Brant Men of Song (1960 - today) have contributed greatly to the artistic life of this community.

Private companies also showed leadership by sponsoring their own choirs, such as the Universal Cooler Ladies Choir, which won a gold medal in 1949 in a competition in Chicago, and the Cockshutt Male Choir, sponsored by the Cockshutt Plow Company, which was active for 25 years. Both choirs were led by Frank Holton. Massey-Harris, Verity and Waterous also sponsored local choirs.

Brantford choirs performed in many venues in Canada and the United States, as well as in Blackpool, England where the Canadian Choir placed 4th out of 23 choirs in an international competition in 1930. This choir, founded by Frederick Lord, has had its amazing story retold in local newspapers, the Brantford Expositor and the former weekly, the Brant News.

The Brant Men of Song is the longest running choir in the history of Brantford. It was founded in 1960 with Frank Holton as its first conductor. In 1996, Scott Millward, took over as Director of the Brant Men of Song. In 1997 he also assumed the leadership of the Belle “A” Dears, a women’s choir, and today the two choirs plan their concerts together, combining to present some mixed voice pieces at each concert.

Founded by James Brown in 1986, the Tudor Singers, a mixed voice, chamber choir presenting a repertoire of fine Baroque and Renaissance choral music in the Brantford area for more than a decade, was for many years directed by Alvin Spaxman. Some years after the Tudor Singers organization was dissolved, its library of music was donated to the Grand River Chorus. Alvin Spaxman was the founding President of the Grand River Chorus.

As the Grand River Chorus enters its tenth season, it can draw strength, encouragement and inspiration from the past as it exemplifies the enthusiasm and appreciation for fine choral music.