Tag: choir

52W Mark II – Week 12: Membership

In this blog I’ve written about many different memberships that my ancestors have been part of: members of the military, the church, and the bar, for example. Something I haven’t really written about is membership in volunteer work, service organizations, and social organizations. So for this week’s 52 Ancestors Challenge, I’d like to share something about my paternal grandmother, Christina (“Tiny”, pronounced “tee-nee”) Komen.

My grandmother, Christina Komen, dressed for one of her choral performances. The date written on the back of the photo is March 5, 1957. Unfortunately, the rest of the notation is about the photo on the wall behind my grandmother. It says that it’s a Canadian soldier and his war bride from Scotland and that they were my grandparents’ neighbour. I believe this means the photo was taken at the neighbours’ house.

My grandmother was a wonderful singer with a beautiful voice. Before emigrating to Canada, she was a member of local and church choirs in her home town. After settling in Canada, my grandparents and the family (including my father) lived in a number of small towns south of Lethbridge, Alberta. However, for most of the late 1950s and early 1960s they lived in Warner, where my grandmother was a member of the Warner Choral Society.

The St. Basil’s Catholic Church Choir, year unknown. My grandmother is in the second row, second from the right.

My grandparents later moved into Lethbridge, where my grandmother was a member of the St. Basil’s Catholic Church Choir. The choir would appear on a local television on “The Sunday Hour”, a program that aired on CJLH-TV. At that time, it was a CBC affiliate. It’s now CISA, a Global Television station.

The St. Basil’s Catholic Church Choir were featured on The Sunday Hour on CJLH-TV in Lethbridge on April 11, 1965. While the advertisement is for a program of Easter music, this air date occurred a week before Easter, on Palm Sunday. My grandmother is in the front row, fourth from the left.