Singing the Praises of a Local Organization

The Anne Campbell choral organization was a mainstay of music in Southern Alberta. Anne Campbell was an important figure in a golden era of local music that began in the 1950s. The introduction of a radio in every home played a vital role in broadcasting the sounds of the era. Anne Campbell was the inspiration and direction behind the Anne Campbell Singers, who achieved national and international recognition in choral competitions and festival from the early 1960s onwards.

In 1926, Campbell started conducting youth choirs in Sutherland, Sask. at age 14. She founded the Southminster Junior Girls Choir at Southminster United Church in Lethbridge in 1953.

Looking upon choral training as an important part of the educational process, Campbell insisted upon regular and frequent practices, learning lines and being punctual, as essential components to good choral work. Sight reading, renunciation and basic vocal control were other characteristics Campbell demanded of her students.

Through the years, her choirs grew in size and age, including the Mini Choir, Teen Clefs, Anne Campbell Singers and Linnet Singers.

Campbell left an indelible mark on choral music and the cultural aspects of Lethbridge and Canada, instilling the values of excellence and discipline in several generations of young women. She touched the lives of literally hundreds of young women in Lethbridge as her choirs welcomed old and new choristers every year from 1953 to the early 2000s.

For her extraordinary community service, Campbell became a Member of the Order of Canada in 1976. She was appointed a lifetime member of the Alberta Choral Federation in 1982, received an honorary degree from the University of Lethbridge in 1983, and received the Alberta Centennial Award in 2005.

The Anne Campbell Singers are just one example of a local organization that made a difference in our community. On Wed MAR 16 from 7 to 9 pm the Galt Museum & Archives presents the Archives Program: Researching Local Organizations. Admission fees apply. Registration not required. Admission is free to annual pass holders and includes access to the FROM PIANOS TO POWER CHORDS exhibit.