Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1936; 1957-2008 predominant; 2009-2018 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
2.5m textual records. -- 764 photographs: 110 b&w, 654 colour. -- 162 Reel-to-Reel audio recordings. -- 13 vinyl record audio recordings. -- 5 CD audio recordings. -- 22 cassette audio recordings. -- 85 VHS video recordings. -- 28 U-Matic video recordings. -- 5 16 mm films. -- 2 8 mm films. -- 2 Betamax video recordings. -- artifacts to be listed
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Winnipeg Mennonite Children's Choir (WMCC) - sometimes also called the Mennonite Children's Choir of Winnipeg or simply the Mennonite Children's Choir - was founded in 1957 by Mrs. Helen Litz in response to an invitation to conduct a children's choir to perform at Winnipeg's Rainbow Stage. It consisted of around 40 children at any one time, originally aged 8-16, though in later years it expanded to include choristers as old as 18.
The choir sang a wide range of music, including classical and baroque pieces, Canadian and German folksongs, traditional hymns, and new pieces composed by contemporary musicians or by Mrs. Litz herself. The choir produced many records and were featured in radio and television broadcasts both locally and nationally through CBC. They also toured extensively through Canada and the United States, as well as further afield in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Israel/Palestine, South America, and Australia/New Zealand. Many of these tours were in response to invitations by international organizations as their reputation grew, including an invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, a collaboration with the Vienna Boys' Choir, and music festivals around the world where their performances often won awards.
WMCC was also very involved in charity work, especially relating to children's issues. They were longtime supporters of World Vision's child sponsorship program, performed at fundraisers for Winnipeg's Children's Hospital Foundation, and sponsored famine and flood relief programs through Mennonite Central Committee among other charity projects.
The choir won many awards over its fifty-year run, including the George Mathieson trophy in 1963, the Canada 125 award in 1993, and many first-, second-, and third-place awards at international music festivals. Helen Litz was awarded the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award in 2000 in regognition of her years of voluntary service to Canada's cultural landscape.
In 1983, MUSICA Inc. (Mennonite United Singing International Community Association) was formed to handle administrative tasks for the choir. WMCC continued until Mrs. Litz's retirement at the end of the 2007/08 season. At this point, former assistant director and mother of one of the choiristers Judy Neufeld Urbonas took over leadership, rebranding the choir as the Winnipeg Children's Choir in 2008, which is still in existence as of 2025.
For more information, see the entry for the choir in "The Canadian Encyclopedia" at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mennonite-childrens-choir-of-winnipeg-emc
Name of creator
Repository
Archival history
The majority of this material was assembled by Mrs. Helen Litz and donated by her children after her death. Many of the artifacts had been on display and then stored at the Mennonite Heritage Centre's gallery space following a 1995 exhibition about the choir. These were transferred to the archives with permission of Mrs. Litz's children when they donated the other content. A few items were also donated by former members of the choir.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This fonds consists of correspondence arranging choir performances, exchanges and tours; publications by and about the choir; concert programs and tickets; scripts and scores for musical productions; legal and insurance documents related to WMCC and MUSICA; Helen Litz's personal correspondence during the years that the choir was active; audio, video and photographic records of choir performances and activities; and information about other musical groups Mrs. Litz kept as inspiration.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Accession number 2017-061
Note
Arranged by Baden Gaeke-Franz for the Mennonite Heritage Centre archives in Winnipeg, Manitoba in August of 2025.
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Litz, Helen (Wilms), 1932-2021 (Subject)
- Winnipeg Mennonite Children's Choir (Subject)