A Tribute to Ona Cropper by Rosalie Carver
Ona Cropper (January 8, 1921 - January 2, 2026)
BCRMTA, ARCT-Performers Diploma,
Founder of The Vancouver Corelli Strings
Ona Cropper was a native of Vancouver, one of five
children and raised in the Kerrisdale area. As a child,
Ona's interest in music was nurtured by her very
musical family. At age six Ona began violin lessons
and continued until she was 16.
At the age of 19, she met her future husband and at
the age of 21 they married. Over the years seven
children arrived. This kept Ona very busy and she
wasn't able to continue with her music studies.
Things changed in 1960 with Ona's husband suffering
a massive stroke which left him severely handicapped. With the loss of the family income, a
disabled husband and seven kids ranging from age 3 to 16 to care for, Ona decided to obtain
credentials necessary to teach violin.
She launched into violin lessons with Douglas
Stewart, a well known violinist and the founder of
the Vancouver Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. Ona
received her diploma: ARCT-Performers in 1972.
During this time Ona was also a junior choir
director at her church, Chown Memorial. She
rehearsed and performed with other choirs
including the White Cane Choir, under the
direction of Edna Ball, where all the singers were
visually impaired. Ona was invited to play on a
couple of their LP vinyl record albums.
While Ona had just started teaching privately at
home, the music coordinator for the Vancouver
School Board, Dennis Tuppman, asked Ona to initiate a violin string program at 8 elementary
schools in Vancouver. As this school program became successful, Ona formed an ensemble of
these students which she called the Vancouver Junior Strings.
Ona did not drive or own a car at this time so she bussed, used the taxi or walked to these
schools. At the age of 58 she finally made time to get her driver's license and was able to buy a
car.
By 1980, the school string program began to diminish, so Ona decided to form her own
orchestra: The Vancouver Corelli Strings. It consisted of a Junior and Senior Division of violins,
musical colleagues and other professional musicians on piano, viola, cello & upright bass and
percussion who were included in performances as well as featured soloists, duets, trios,
quartets and ensembles.
Many performances were at Seniors' Care Facilities, local churches and school auditoriums.
Ticketed events helped to raise money for charities which included the Vancouver Food Bank,
World Vision and the Homeless in Vancouver.
By the age of 75, Ona's teaching schedule ran from
7:30am to 8:30pm 6 days a week, with extra time
thrown in for the ensembles & soloists preparing for
performances, exams & festivals. Dozens of students
received high marks with 1st Class Honours, Honours
With Distinction, silver medals for highest marks in BC
through the Royal Conservatory of Music and London
College of Music exams as well as scholarships in local festivals.
Ona conducted her final concert in December of 2014 at the Cavell Care home. She was 93
years old.
During her retirement, Ona loved her Sunday afternoon tea parties with family and enjoyed relaxing with her little dog, Bella while watching her PBS classical music channel.
Ona's success as a teacher was a unique mix of her love for music, her teaching methods and her deep respect and insightfulness for her students. She loved her music and she lived her life with purpose.
A wonderful reminder of Ona's musical legacy can also be seen in this video of a Christmas concert she conducted in 2014: