University of Guelph Library
Edward Johnson Collection
Born in Guelph in 1878, Edward Johnson became one of the world's leading operatic tenors with a career spanning the first three decades of the twentieth century.
The Edward Johnson collection was donated to the University of Guelph in 1992 by his grandchildren, Lady Sandra Scholey of London, England, and Edward Drew of Toronto.
The collection comprises more than 500 items in various media, including textual records, photographs, sound recordings and letters, dating from 1890 through 1959. There are many postcard views and photographs of Guelph as well as performance memorabilia from the turn of the 20th Century.
After his career as a performer, Johnson became the New York Metropolitan's General Manager in 1935 following his devoted efforts on behalf of the "Save the Met" fundraising campaign during the Depression.
Johnson returned to Guelph in 1950 where he remained an active supporter of music education and appreciation until his death in 1959. He was the first chairman of Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music and a founder of the Opera School. In 1957 Johnson established the Edward Johnson Music Foundation in Guelph to foster music education for youth and music appreciation in his hometown.
Learn more about how you can help preserve the Edward Johnson Collection.