Abner Martin dies at 84
Menno Singers founder ‘pioneer’ in choir movement
Founding artistic director of Menno Singers and Mennonite Mass Choir
WATERLOO — The founder of the Menno Singers and Mennonite Mass Choir has passed away.
Abner Martin, of Waterloo, died on Friday. He was 84.
Martin was the founding artistic director of Menno Singers in 1955 and conductor for 20 years. He was a leader for excellence in choral music in this community, at a time when there was no concert hall or standing choirs performing challenging choral works.
“I think he was a pioneer,” said his daughter, Stephanie Martin.
Martin founded the Menno Singers when he was 20, spurred by his vision for a choir dedicated to quality choral and sacred music. In 1974, he was behind the formation of the Mennonite Mass Choir.
A tribute posted on the Menno Singers’ website Saturday included a quote from Martin about the “great bond of unity” found in choral music.
“I wish that everyone could experience the unique joy of singing in a highly disciplined choir. Singing in a group is all about immersing one’s self into the community of singers.”
Martin directed both choirs until his retirement in 1979, when the Menno Singers established the Abner Martin Music Scholarship, awarded annually to a deserving university music student from Ontario.
Martin was inducted into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame in 2017. His daughter said he was pleased to be recognized, although he was always modest about his accomplishments.
The award biography starts with an intriguing dichotomy: “There are two sides to Abner Martin — choral musician and cattleman.”
Martin bought a dairy farm in Perth County in the early 1970s, after leaving his teaching position at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, due to health issues. He was proud of his herd of prize-winning Charolais and Holstein cattle.
“He was able to balance it somehow, because farming takes a lot of time, and doing the conducting as well,” his daughter said.
The family’s farmhouse encapsulated his varied interests, and included a large library of books and records.
“We had a piano in the house, so there was always reading and music,” Stephanie recalled.
After retiring from the farm about 15 years ago, Martin focused on reading, in particular history and theology, and was actively involved in church and community until last year.
Hundreds of comments poured in after his daughter posted about her father’s death on Facebook, pointing to his far-reaching impact. Many said he was an engaging conversationalist, she said.
“Also people are talking about the influence he had.”
Martin created a community through singing. Between rehearsals, the choir would often share a meal.
“There were many lasting relationships that were forged in that way,” his daughter said.
Martin was born in 1942, in Waterloo Township, and grew up on a dairy farm. He went to Rockway Mennonite School in Kitchener, Goshen College in Indiana, and received a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Toronto, and his master’s from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
Martin taught music in Tillsonburg and Waterloo Collegiate Institute and later at the University of Waterloo. He conducted the Menno Singers from 1955 to 1969 and again from 1973 to 1979, in between teaching in New Brunswick.
Martin is survived by his wife, Shirley, his four children, Kevin, Cori, Stephanie and Craig and their children, and three sisters.
Visitation will be at the Erb and Good Funeral Home on Friday, Nov. 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral is on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 3 p.m., at Waterloo North Mennonite Church.
“There will be lots of music at the funeral,” his daughter said.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Abner Martin Music Scholarship (mennosingers.com) or the Mennonite Central Committee (donate.mcccanada.ca).