John Sidgwick

Sidgwick, John

John (Robert Lindsay) Sidgwick. Organist, choir conductor, teacher, adjudicator, b Limpsfield, Surrey, England, 29 Jan 1923, d Toronto 26 Nov 1973; ARCM 1946, ARCO 1946, B MUS (Cambridge) 1948, FRCO 1953, MA (Cambridge) 1954. He was a boy chorister at St George's Chapel, Windsor, a music scholar at Felsted School, Essex, and an organ scholar at Clare College, Cambridge U. He first visited Canada during RAF service 1942-6 and returned to Toronto to serve 1949-51 as music master of Upper Canada College. He then held positions 1952-60 at Metropolitan United Church and 1960-73 at St Clement's Anglican Church in Toronto. Concurrently he was organist-choirmaster 1951-73 at the University of Trinity College. He founded and directed the Madrigal Singers of Toronto in the early 1950s. He conducted 1955-60 the Bach-Elgar Choir of Hamilton and was chorusmaster 1960-4 of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and founding director 1964-70 of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto. He taught at the University of Toronto and the RCMT and was a commissioner for the RSCM. He adjudicated at competition festivals across Canada. Sidgwick accompanied and conducted the choir engaged for the private recording 62 Hymns for Broadcast, produced by the Anglican Church of Canada for its use. His death ended a career of quiet significance to choral music in Canada. An annual award provided by a memorial fund established in his name in 1974 and administered by the RCCO was offered first in 1977.