Founding Date:	1969
Address:	1026 Speers Road, Unit 8 & 9 Oakville, Ontario L6L 2X4
Telephone:	(905) 844-2732
Website:	http://www.filarmonicalirabomjesus.com/

OVER HALF A CENTURY OF HISTORY

Audio Version:

Humberto Nunes arrived in Canada in the mid-1960s and soon put to use the music abilities he had developed since the age of 16 when he lived in the island of Terceira. The idea to form Filarmónica Lira do Bom Jesus de Oakville, in the distant year of 1968, came from him.

In a newsletter about the band, it reads that the festivities in praise of Divino Espirito Santo were already held in Oakville in the 1960s, but the Portuguese community was not able to enjoy an instrumental band to brighten the celebrations. “To fill this void”, it can be read, “the President of the Portuguese Club convinced a group of youngsters to compose a musical ensemble to brighten the festivities of the Holy Spirit. It was then that pioneer Humberto Nunes, member of Lira Bom Jesus at the time, gathered with the youngsters to play live music, for the first time ever, at the festivities of the Holy Spirit, in 1968. (…) Encouraged by the success achieved and with the bustling nostalgia of their traditions, they decided to create the Filarmónica Lira Do Bom Jesus de Oakville, in 1969.

“(…) The number of musicians increased and due to all the dedication and enthusiasm, Lira do Bom Jesus was considered the best Portuguese band in Ontario. (…) In 1975, it had its first tour of the Azores, namely the islands of Pico and Faial, under the tutelage of Zulmiro Silva. In 1988, it traveled again to the island of Pico to participate in the famous Bom Jesus Milagroso festivities, in the parish of São Mateus. Because of its reputation and since the group was in the Azores, it was invited to perform at Faial, São Jorge and Terceira. 

 “(…) Since 1990, the band suffered a decline for reasons common to all institutions, which sometimes gives rise to a deeper review and that contributed to a vital recovery. (…) In 2004, the music school witnessed the addition of 16 new musicians (…).”

At the band’s headquarters, Luso-Ontario Magazine, in 2008, conducted an interview with founder Humberto Nunes, his brother Mateus Nunes, secretary Paula Vitorino, and Helena Cardoso, a lady without a designated role but who was an integral part of the band. It was from her that we learned that Lira do Bom Jesus is not only an instrumental band but that, in addition to its obvious cultural component, it also plays the role of social association. “We hold some events at the headquarters but others are held in larger halls. We are a members’ club”, she advised and explained that the remodeling of the band is taking place with the introduction of more youth. “We started by teaching the children. Children try instruments. This work is performed by volunteers and we have older elements who come here to help. We only have wind instruments. At around February, the band gets together to rehearse, and the children start joining the band. It’s nice to see the children’s development. We have many young people and we look at this organization as a family,” she said.

The current headquarters is rented but the organization once owned property that was eventually sold. “We once owned property. We started by renting a room, then bought the building next door but ended up selling it”, Paula Vitorino recalled. “It would be great if this house had its own headquarters again for the philharmonic and the music school, a room that had computers and appealed to the youth, to have an exchange with other bands,” added Helena Cardoso. 

During that same interview, Humberto Nunes stated that the instrumental band could only thrive if there is support from the Portuguese community of Oakville. “People are a little scattered, unfortunately. Many don’t care about this,” Humberto Nunes said. Helena Cardoso shared in the feeling: “I would like to see Oakville’s community more united. After all, we are carrying forward the traditions we have brought from Portugal.”

Filarmónica Lira Do Bom Jesus De Oakville is composed of more than 40 members aged between 12 and 70 years. 

The interest of the youth and the numerous invitations that the band has recently received to perform in various locations, combined with the commitment and dedication of its Board, help us predict that the philharmonic has a prosperous future, even in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic. 

With files from Luso-Ontario Magazine, 2008

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