Leonard Camplin. Conductor, violinist, oboist, b London 16 Aug 1928; d 14 Oct 2024, FTCL.
Leonard’s musical journey of 72 years, began as a Church of England choirboy and later became a violin student at the Guildhall School of Music. He graduated from the British Army, Royal Military School of Music-Kneller Hall, with majors in conducting, composition and orchestration. In 1955, he became the youngest conductor in the British Army, serving in tours of duty that took him too many parts of the world. He frequently performed as an oboe recitalist and lecturer.
In 1959, Leonard immigrated to Canada and became the Music Supervisor for the Saskatchewan Sturgis School Unit. His dedication to student musicianship led to the introduction of full music credits in Saskatchewan schools. He also played principal oboe with the Regina Symphony Orchestra.
Leonard served as Director of Music and Commanding Officer of the Royal Canadian Engineers Band (RCE Band) at Camp Chilliwack, in 1961. While much of the band’s time was spent on military and ceremonial functions, they also performed a wide variety of music, from popular dance music to Beethoven, Schubert, and Tschaikowsky symphonies. Under Leonard’s leadership, the band became versatile enough provide a 20-piece string orchestra, a male voice choir, a dance orchestra and chamber ensembles.
Camplin also served as Director of Music and Commanding Officer for the Naden Band and Company Commander of the Training and Standards at CF School of Music at CFB Esquimalt, and Director of Music and Commanding Officers for the Princess Patricia Light Infantry Band (PPCLI), CFB Calgary. Among military tours of duty, he was appointed Music Director of the Calgary’s Centennial celebrations (Century Calgary) and conducted the Century Calgary Symphony Orchestra.
In 1964, he became Music Director and Conductor of the Okanagan Symphony Society (OSS) and its orchestra. Under his leadership, the orchestra grew from an amateur to professional status. After retiring from the Canadian Forces in 1978, he moved to Kelowna and continued as resident conductor of the OSS. Conducting his last concert in May 1996 (32 years), he was honoured with a plaque inscribed “In appreciation, Leonard Camplin, Conductor Laureate for dedicated and inspired service as Music Director 1964 – 1995, Okanagan Symphony Society.”
With his passion for music concerts, a group of people got together to produce summer concerts, he was a founder and Music Director of the Kelowna Philharmonic Festival Society 1986 – 2006. Leonard founded with a small group of Kelowna businessmen who embraced his concept of a Canada Day July 1st free concert for Kelowna citizens with the Canada Day POPS orchestra, he was the Music Director and Conductor of the Kelowna Canada Day Concert Society 1994 – 2016.
