OC’s Early Years, 1960 – 1979

In 1960, a small group of people who loved to sing got together to make music. In those early years, the group had various conductors and no fixed location. Rehearsals were held in members’ basements, church halls and eventually the Pine Room at Oakville arena. One of choral group’s earliest conductors was Sidney Bickham.

In 1969, Gifford Mitchell was recruited from McGill University to head up the music department at Sheridan College in Oakville. Gifford was an organist, educator, choir director, and University of Toronto graduate. He became the music director of their choral society, whose name was changed to the Whiteoaks Choral Society. We became part of Sheridan College, listed as a continuing education course in the college’s catalogue. Gifford brought with him an impressive collection of musical scores for chorus. These became the foundation of OC’s library, which now numbers over 500 SATB scores, housed in the basement of a local business. Gifford led the society until 1978, giving concerts in the Oakville Civic Auditorium and elsewhere in the community. 

Donald Horsburgh then briefly took over leadership of the chorus. Under his baton, the choral group performed with Canadian singer and actress Dinah Christie.

Bev Stainton, Music Director, 1979 – 2009

In 1979, Bev Stainton assumed the role of music director and conductor, which he held for thirty years. Bev, a pianist, organist, educator and conductor, held numerous positions in choral music in Canada, including President of the Canadian Amateur Musicians/Musiciens amateurs du Canada (CAMMAC) and member of the Canadian Music Adjudicators’ Association. 

Under Bev’s direction, we expanded our repertoire, singing classical music, opera, Broadway tunes, cabaret, and rock ‘n’ roll. We joined the Opera Mississauga for a fully costumed performance of Aida and sang the national anthem at a Toronto Blue Jays game. We helped celebrate the 150th anniversary of St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto, singing beneath the amazing and only known religious artwork of the Group of Seven.

In 1982, Whiteoaks Choral Society was incorporated as a registered charity. Our legal name was then changed to The Oakville Choral Society Inc. in 1995. We now commonly go by the name Oakville Choral (OC).

David Bowser, Music Director and Conductor, 2009 – 2024

David Bowser joined OC in 2009 and served as our artistic director until the Spring of 2024. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto specializing in eighteenth-century string and vocal performance practices, and studied orchestral and operatic conducting with Leopold Hager at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna and with Gianluigi Gelmetti at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Under David’s direction, OC continued our tradition of community partnership. We sang with the NYCO Symphony Orchestra, and our performances often included soloists who were winners of the Toronto Mozart Competition.

Accompanists

Oakville Choral has been fortunate to have had several outstanding accompanists. One of our earliest accompanists was Edith Bearley, followed by Richard Fiegenbaum and Joyce Hongisto, Marie Harris and Janet King.

Since 2007, we have been fortunate to have the internationally acclaimed musician Anne Marie Leonard as accompanist at our weekly rehearsal. Anne Marie’s talents on the piano are truly extraordinary.