Ignatius Aloysius Rumboldt C.M. (November 30, 1916 – September 9, 1994) was a choir director, organist and educator in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He was born in Curling (later

Corner Brook Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,333 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

). His mother died when he was six and he was sent to

Mount Cashel Orphanage The Mount Cashel Orphanage, known locally as the Mount Cashel Boys' Home, was a boys' orphanage located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The orphanage was operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, and became infamous for ...

. As a young musician, Rumboldt met

Charles Hutton Charles Hutton FRS FRSE LLD (14 August 1737 – 27 January 1823) was a British mathematician and surveyor. He was professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich from 1773 to 1807. He is remembered for his calculation of th ...

. He studied at summer schools at the

Toronto Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

, the George Little School of Music in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and the Fred Waring School of Music in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In 1931, Hutton offered him the job of assistant organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's. In 1936, he became organist and choirmaster at the cathedral. From 1936 to 1952, he was director of music at

Saint Bonaventure's College St. Bonaventure's College (commonly called St. Bon's) is an independent kindergarten to grade 12 Catholic School in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located in the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, adjacent to the Roman Cat ...

, Holy Cross School in St. John's, St. Patrick's Hall and Mount Cashel School. From 1952 to 1960, Rumboldt was a visiting lecturer on music at

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...

. He organized the Memorial University Glee Club which performed Newfoundland

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

s. He also organized a group called the Glee Club which performed at a local television station. In 1960, he became a full-time lecturer on music at the university. Rumboldt retired in 1980. He lobbied for the creation of a department of music at the university. From 1965 to 1968, Rumboldt was a member of the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

. In 1975, he was named to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. He died in St. John's at the age of 77. A music scholarship at Memorial University is awarded in his name. His grandson

David Pomeroy David Pomeroy (born 11 September 1973) is a Canadian operatic tenor. Early life and musical training David Pomeroy was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Pomeroy credits his grandfather, ...

is a Canadian operatic tenor.

References

1916 births 1994 deaths Members of the Order of Canada Canadian organists Male organists 20th-century organists 20th-century Canadian male musicians {{Canada-musician-stub