Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and recognized for his contribution to Ontario’s cultural landscape. Two years later, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 46. Choma’s orchestra, however, lived on. Now known as the Quinte Symphony, the group celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009 and is still going strong today. Steven Dyer Should you ever find yourself at a performance of Winnipeg Sym- phony Orchestra (WSO), don’t be surprised if you see a familiar face in the brass section—Tillsonburg’s Steven Dyer. A member of WSO since 2001, Dyer has been its princi- pal trombonist since 2011. Originally from Glasgow, Dyer moved to Canada with his parents, George and Winnie, in the mid- 1970s. He got his first introduction to the trombone while he was a student at Maple Lane Senior Pub- lic School and by high school, had clearly found his calling. “Ed Steer ran an excellent music program at Glendale,” Steven re- calls. “His classes had great depth in terms of music theory and histo- ry, and the concert and stage bands were truly first rate. As many will remember, Ed was—and I hope still is—a beautiful performer on the saxophone and other woodwind in- struments. We were tremendously fortunate to have him demonstrate
The Martin Boundy Memorial Trophy is still handed out to deserv- ing secondary school bands each
and perform for us regularly.” Recognizing Dyer’s interest and potential, Steer arranged a meeting with a private trombone instructor. “It was a pivotal moment,” says Dyer. “I started taking weekly les- sons after that and playing in the youth orchestras in London and Kitchener-Waterloo.” After being named ‘Most Musi- cal’ by his peers in the graduating class of 1992, Steven went on to en- roll at McGill University, where he majored in—you guessed it—music performance. He later completed a Masters degree in music at DePaul University in Chicago. As a young professional, Dyer held positions with the Chicago Civ- ic Orchestra and Thunder Bay Sym- phony Orchestra. He also taught low brass at Lakehead University before joining the music faculty at the Uni- versity of Manitoba in 2001—a posi- tion he still holds today. Over the years, Dyer has played casually with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Toronto Sympho- ny Orchestra and has even given performances on the ‘sackbut’—a type of early trombone from the Renaissance and Baroque eras. In the spring of 2014, he performed with the WSO at New York’s Carn- egie Hall, fulfilling a dream held by nearly every musical performer. During the summer months, Steven enjoys spending time with brass-playing colleagues from other Canadian orchestras in the Canadi- an National Brass Project, which just released its first album this summer. “In raising a family of four young children of my own, I realize more with each passing year the real beauty of Tillsonburg and I hope to share it with my own kids in some way over time,” he says. “Like so many of my friends, I have count- less great memories from growing up there, and I can’t wait for my next visit!” Tillsonburg native Steven Dyer has played trombone with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra since 2001, and became prin- cipal trombone in 2011.
year in London. Stephen Choma
Anyone who attended Tillson- burg High School in the late 1940s, will likely remember violinist, Stephen (Steve) Choma. Born in Montreal to Czechoslo- vakian parents, Choma lived in a number of Ontario communities in- cluding Cornwall, Timmins, Frank- ford and Toronto before finding his way to Tillsonburg as a teenager. As a young boy in Toronto, he studied violin at the Royal Conservatory of Music and had experience playing with seven different orchestras. He even did a two-year stint on CFRB radio as Peter Pan. When he arrived in Tillsonburg, Choma’s mastery of the violin in- spired others around him to indulge their creative muse. In 1948, he took over the conductorship of the 17-piece high school orchestra and even formed a second group, “Cho- ma’s Chummy Chumps” to play lighter fare. On weekends, Choma would get together with other musi- cians in the area to play dances, cut records or perform at area churches. When Choma relocated to the Belleville area as a young adult, he carried his love of music with him. In 1960, he founded the Eastern On- tario Concert Orchestra. The amateur group caught the imagination of nearly 40 musicians in its first year, as well as executives at the Bata Shoe Company. Players in the fledgling orchestra included lawyers, schoolteachers, paint- ers, farmers, business people, high school students and housewives. At one point, the members’ ages ranged from eight to 80. “Their unbounded love for music brings them together,” Choma told reporters following a 1962 concert. A key part of Choma’s vision was to bring orchestral music to commu- nities that might have little exposure to it otherwise. In 1974, Choma was presented to Her Majesty Queen
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