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The life and times of Sault Ste. Marie's 'Mr. Opera'

In this week's edition of Remember This, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library archives looks back at the life and accomplishments of Arno Ambel
Arno Ambel SSMPL
Arno Ambel is pictured in this Sault Ste. Marie Public Library archive photo

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

For many years people in the community stood in line to purchase tickets in order to see the productions put on by the Sault Opera Society. The main driving force behind the Sault Opera Society was Arno Ambel. 

Born on Nov. 8, 1926, in Tallinn, Estonia to parents Rudolf Friedrich and Liisu-Lisbeth Ambel, Arno was their second child. 

It seems that Arno may have inherited his musical genes from his father Friedrich since he was known to have an excellent voice.   His mother supposedly did not have any musical or artistic talent, but she more than made up for it with her instinct and survival skills, which helped the family survive the German and Russian occupations. 

From 1933 to 1941, Arno studied voice lessons under Armanda degli Abbati. However in 1941, his teacher was deported to Serbia because she was an Italian citizen and at the time, Russia and Italy were at war. Soon after, on June 21, 1941 German forces invaded Estonia.   

At the age of 18, Arno was conscripted into the German military and in September of 1944 he was stationed in Germany. 

Arno managed to survive the war and was held at a refugee camp in Germany with 16,000 Estonian men. These men were exiles knowing that if they returned to Estonia, now Russian controlled, it would mean arrest, being sent to labour camps or death. 

For nine months, he worked as an interpreter at the United States Cassel Air Base. He worked at numerous jobs including driving a 2 ½ ton truck, working as a warehouse manager where he kept inventory and distributed rations, working as the chief clerk at two displacement camps where he supervised camp offices and food stores and finally he held the position of chief clerk/investigator in the “Dead Letter Office” at the post office for the camp in Fallingbostel. These jobs encompassed over three years of his life.  

Arno immigrated to Canada in June of 1949 with his friend Robert Timusk. He traveled to Carman, Manitoba and worked as a farm hand for the Manitoba Sugar Company. 

In October of 1949, Arno made his way to Sault Ste. Marie. Soon after his arrival he was instrumental in the founding of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1951. Active in the church, he held the position of president of the council for 24 years, secretary for 18 years and was the church organist for 50 years. 

In 1951, he got a job at Algoma Steel Corporation and worked there until 1985, when he took an early retirement due to suffering a heart attack in June 1985.

It was in 1960 that he met his wife, Vilma, and in 1966 they had their first son Fredrick Henry. Vilma died suddenly in 1983 and Arno would remain a widower until 1992 when he married Janis (Smith) Sarlo.           

Arno Ambel contributed greatly to the Sault Ste. Marie community, working on many committees and organizations including the Ontario Advisory Board on Multiculturalism and Citizenship from 1985-1987, conductor of the Estonian Choir of Sault Ste. Marie from 1956-1967, and conductor and arranger for the G. Marconi Choir from 1977-1980. 

However, perhaps he is best known for his role as a founding member of the Sault Opera Society in 1970.  He was President from 1982 to 1987 and from 1988 to 1996 for this organization. Arno worked tirelessly to promote art and culture in Sault Ste. Marie over his lifetime, so much so that he was awarded the Sault Ste. Marie Medal of Merit in 1983 for excellence in cultural activities. 

However, this is just one of the many awards he received which include the Rotary Club Henry Wallace Trophy in 1993, Best Director Award Quonta Drama Festival in 1982, and Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism of the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation in 1996 to name just a few. 

During his time with the Sault Opera Society, he was stage director for 20 shows and was musical director for 32. Arno would remain on the Board of Directors until September of 1999 when he retired.  

On Aug. 30, 2004 Arno Ambel died at the age of 77 and was survived by his wife Janis who wrote the book Mr. Opera, which details the life of this extraordinary individual who worked tirelessly to promote not only art and culture but tolerance and multiculturalism.   

Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here


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