St. Thomas Seniors Got Talent 2024 Victor, Gene Corless! by Peri Hayes Gene Corless, winner of the second St. Thomas Seniors Got Talent, shares, “During the pandemic, I formed a brass trio consisting of a trumpet, a baritone and a tuba. The trio is called ‘Still Alive’, and we entered the first season of St. Thomas Seniors Got Talent.” While Gene performs tuba in this trio, he decided to enter the competition this year with his trumpet. Throughout his musical journey, Gene has participated in various competitions. This event — sponsored by Chartwell Nursing Homes — is one example, as Gene delightedly highlights, “I have been quite successful in entering the Senior Star competitions, winning four firsts and two seconds. I entered three times in Aylmer and three times in Woodstock.” Now at the age of 86, Gene has been playing the trumpet since 1950: “I have always had a passion for music. I was raised in a musical family of three generations. My mother, sister and grandmother were pianists, my father was a trained vocalist and my grandfather quite proudly played the bones and the spoons. We lived on a farm in what was known as South Dorchester Township. I started out playing ukulele when I was three or four, then graduated to a banjo and then a clarinet. I wasn’t satisfied with the clarinet, so I indicated to my father that I really would like
to play the trumpet. My father took me to a music store in London and bought me my first trumpet. ‘It was used at the time; a 1938 Martin, quality trumpet. I was 12 years old.” In addition to playing at church and school, Gene was invited to join a five-piece dance band at age 17: “That was the start of my passion for music and the trumpet. There was no money for lessons in our family. I just played what I heard.”
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559 Talbot Street, St. Thomas
519 - 207 - 4424
www.ickitchens.ca
559 Talbot Street, St. Thomas
Page 6 Boomers and Beyond – Elgin • December 2024
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