A passion for music lives on through the Douglas Parnham Memorial Scholarship
By Michaela Ream
Douglas Parnham, founder of the Calgary Boys’ Choir, passed away in February 2018 at the age of 92, but his love of music still inspires countless young men. To continue his legacy, Moira Harlton, Parnham’s daughter, and his other children, alongside Oliver Munar, a member of the choir since he was nine years old, worked together with Calgary Foundation to set up the Douglas Parnham Memorial Scholarship for Choral Music Fund.
Throughout Parnham’s life, music played an integral role. After moving to Calgary in 1948, Parnham worked for the Alberta Wheat Pool by day while moonlighting in the world of music. He served as an organist and choir director for several churches. He also established and led the Naramata Summer School of Music Arts beginning in 1963, was the first Canadian to serve on the board of directors for the Choristers Guild, and, for more than 50 years, was a private piano and voice teacher.
In 1973, Parnham left his job with the wheat pool to pursue his vision of starting a world-class, all-boys choir. While Calgary had a variety of mixed-voice choirs for children and girls, there weren’t any boys’ choirs at the time. The creation of the Calgary Boys’ Choir provided a unique opportunity to develop and showcase the musical talents of young singers.
For the next 18 years, Parnham served as the artistic director and principal conductor. Under his leadership, the boys’ choir became one of Alberta’s premier children’s vocal groups. The choir toured across Canada and the U.S., performed in Britain, Wales, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Japan, and sang in different languages. The Calgary Boys’ Choir collaborated with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Calgary Opera and Calgary Flames, and performed at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. In 1983, Parnham was awarded the Alberta Achievement Award from the provincial government for his contributions to choral music in Alberta.
Munar’s life was one of many that Parnham influenced. Munar grew up in the choir and remained close friends until Parnham passed away. “Mr. Parnham instilled in us the values that made the Calgary Boys’ Choir so successful: discipline, hard work, being prepared and collaborating with your team towards a common goal of musical excellence.”
Parnham’s final tour as artistic director was in 1991 for the choir’s seventh international tour to Japan. In his final artistic director’s message, Parnham wrote:
“After founding the organization 18 years ago, I am retiring not with a feeling of sadness but with one of pride in the success which has been achieved and wonderful memories of working with hundreds of the finest boys you would ever find. If I have been able to give the boys who have passed through my hands a love of choral music, a striving for excellence through hard work and the joys of successfully performing to share with others, then my years have been richly rewarded.”
There’s no doubt Parnham would feel rewarded by the choir’s continued work, 51 years since he started it, and of the Douglas Parnham Memorial Scholarship, which annually awards $1,000 towards tuition for students studying music, specializing in choral music and music education.