Vernon West Barford (10 September 1876 – 22 April 1963) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

photographer, musician, organist, choirmaster and teacher. Barford, nicknamed "Man of Many Talents," was born in

Crowthorne Crowthorne is a large village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest district of south-eastern Berkshire, England. It had a population of 6,711 at the 2001 census, which rose to 6,902 at the 2011 census. A 2020 estimate put it at 7,808. Cr ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

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. He began piano lessons at four and attended the choir school of Worcester Cathedral from 1887 to 1892. Having failed entrance exams to

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, he moved in 1898 to Qu'Appelle,

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in the

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(most which became the southern third in territory, half of population, of the province of Saskatchewan,

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in 1905 after his departure). He began to farm and after a year, he began to teach piano. On 15 January 1900 he moved to Edmonton, Alberta and became choirmaster for All Saints parish church, which became pro-cathedral of the Church of England in Canada in 1914, and stayed in that post for fifty-six years. In 1903 Barford organized the Edmonton Amateur Operatic Society, and was musical director for seven years. In 1904 he created Edmonton's first opera, ''The Chimes of Normandy''. On 1 September 1905, when Alberta had joined the Dominion of Canada, Barford conducted the first official concert at Thistle Rink. in 1908 Barford worked with three others to create the Alberta Provincial Festival (now known as the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival) and was president of it for seven years. In 1912, Barford began the University of Alberta Glee Club. Then in 1924 he was awarded with the honorary degree by the U of A. In the 1927–1929 season, Barford was the first conductor of the

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Edmonton, Alberta. As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city it presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to co ...

, and from 1932 to 1937 Vernon gave several series of lectures, 60 lectures in total over the radio with

CKUA The CKUA Radio Network is a Canadian donor-funded community radio network based in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally located on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton (hence the UA of the call letters), it was the first public broadcaste ...

. In 1945 he was made a fellow in the Canadian College of Organists. In 1955 he conducted another concert for the 50th anniversary of the province of Alberta, like the one he did in the year 1905. On 22 April 1963, Barford died at the age of 87. Vernon Barford Junior High School is named in his honour.

References

''Canadian Encyclopedia''
* Vernon Barford: A Man of Many Talents. Grade Seven Social Studies Unit 1 Booklet {{DEFAULTSORT:Barford, Vernon 1876 births 1963 deaths Photographers from Berkshire English conductors (music) People from Crowthorne People from Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan English emigrants to Canada British male conductors (music) 20th-century British photographers 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century British musicians