History of the Festival

A 91-year Tradition

The Truro Music Festival was started in 1922 by Professor Harry Wellard and his assistants Miss Margaret McLean and Miss Lois Richardson. Prof. Wellard was organist at several Truro churches, taught music at the Nova Scotia Provincial Normal College, and was supervisor of music in Colchester County schools. He was devoted to music in the community, and was particularly interested in fostering its role in childhood education and development. His many achievements are honoured nearly a century later in the annual Truro Music Festival.

In the beginning, the Festival was only for schools, and was known as the Truro Choral Society Music Competition. Initially, the competition was only for "town" schools and took place on a single Saturday in late May in the old Colchester County Academy.

The Festival quickly grew to include county schools and school-aged soloists, and today includes musicians of all ages from the Colchester area and neighboring counties in Nova Scotia.

The tradition has continued up to the present day, and the 2012 Festival was the 90th anniversary of this Truro institution. In fact, the Truro Music Festival is the third oldest competitive music festival in Canada, an achievement for which the community can be justifiably proud.