ENCYCLOPEDIA - Key Persons
Aaron Allan Edson, landscape painter (b at Standbridge, Qué 18 Dec 1846; d at Glen-Sutton, Qué 1 May 1888). His first teacher (around 1863) was likely Robert Duncanson, an American artist living in Montréal. He later studied in London, England.
Aba Bayefsky, artist, teacher (b Toronto 7 Apr 1923; d Toronto 5 May 2001). Bayefsky studied at Central Technical School in Toronto from 1937 to 1942. The following year he enlisted in the RCAF and was commissioned as an Official War Artist in 1944.
Abel Joseph (Jack) Diamond, OC, OOnt, architect (born 8 November 1932 in Piet Retief, South Africa; died 30 October 2022). An Officer of the Order of Canada and multiple winner of the Governor General's Medal in Architecture, Jack Diamond was one of the most significant and successful Canadian architects of his generation (see Architecture). He was made a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 1980 and in 1994 was made an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
A prolific author, editor and translator, and concerned chiefly with the contemporary debate on religion and science, De Sola's own writings included studies on Jewish history, cosmography and medicine.
Abraham Nordheimer. Music dealer, publisher, teacher, b Memmelsdorf, Bavaria, 24 Feb 1816, d Hamburg 18 Jan 1862 while on a visit to Germany. With his younger brother Samuel he followed his older brother Isaac, an Oriental scholar, to New York in 1839. He later opened the A. & S. Nordheimer music store and publishing firm with his brother Samuel.
Ada Bronstein (b Lvoff). Pianist, accompanist, teacher, b Harbin, China, 1916, naturalized Canadian 1957. She studied piano in Harbin and Shanghai with Boris Lazareff, pupil and son-in-law of Alexander Siloti.
Adam (Joseph) Schott. Bandmaster, b Mainz, Germany 1794, d Poona, India, 4 Aug 1864. This son of the founder of the German publishing house B. Schott's Söhne became a bandmaster in the British army.
Adam Shortt, economist, historian (b at Kilworth, Canada W 24 Nov 1859; d at Ottawa 14 Jan 1931). Educated at Queen's U (BA 1883, MA 1885) and at Glasgow and Edinburgh, Shortt joined the staff at Queen's in 1886 and was professor of political science 1891-1908.
Adelmo Melecci. Teacher, composer, organist, b Felonica Po, near Venice, 18 May 1899, naturalized Canadian 1928, d 31 Aug 2004; honorary ARCT (1988).
Adolphe (Théophile) Hamel. Organist, pianist, choirmaster, businessman, b Quebec City 15 May 1842, d there November 1887. He studied violin, then piano and organ with Paul Letondal as part of the academic studies he began in Montreal and completed in Quebec City.
Adélard-Joseph François-Arthur Boucher, publisher, importer, choirmaster, organist, conductor, writer, teacher, numismatist (born 28 June 1835 in Maskinongé, near Trois-Rivières, Lower Canada; died 16 November 1912 in Outremont, QC).
Afua (Ava Pamela) Cooper, educator, historian, performance artist, poet (born 8 November 1957 in the Whithorn district of Westmoreland, Jamaica), is considered one of the most influential and pioneering voices in the Canadian dub poetry and spoken word movement. Her poems are published in numerous regional, national and international journals and anthologies. Afua Cooper also has CDs of her performances that make her work well known to the global community. In addition to her renown as a performance artist, she is an internationally-ranked historian. She has taught Caribbean cultural studies, history, women's studies and Black studies at Ryerson and York universities, at the University of Toronto and at Dalhousie University.
Agnes Butcher. Pianist, teacher, b Edmonton 11 Apr 1915; ATCM piano1930, LTCM piano 1936. She began piano studies in Brockville, Ont in 1920, moved to Hamilton in 1924 and studied with W.H. Hewlett, then continued in Toronto in 1934 with Viggo Kihl and Charles Peaker.
Agnes Maule Machar, novelist, poet, historian (b at Kingston, Ont 23 Jan 1837; d there 24 Jan 1927). An important reformist and literary figure in Victorian Canada, she was a prolific writer who published poetry, several novels and volumes of history and biography.
Agnès Grossmann, orchestra and choir conductor (b at Vienna 24 Apr 1944). After studies in piano performance at the Vienna Academy (1968), Grossmann embarked on a career as a soloist in Europe and Japan.
Al (Alan Douglas) Neil. Pianist, composer, visual artist, author, b Vancouver 26 Mar 1924. He studied with Glenn Nelson and Jean Coulthard but, save for some lessons with Wilf Wylie, was self-taught as a jazz pianist.
Alain Caron, composer, bassist and arranger (b at Saint-Éloi, Québec 5 May 1955). Known as a virtuoso on his instrument, he was part of the jazz-fusion group Uzeb from 1976 to 1990.
Alain Gagnon. Composer, teacher, b Trois-Pistoles, Que, 22 May 1938; B MUS (Laval) 1963, L MUS composition (Laval) 1964. He began teaching himself the piano but continued 1951-8 with Father Philippe-Antoine Lavoie at the Rimouski Seminary.
Alain Lamontagne. Harmonica player, composer, singer, storyteller, actor, b Verdun (Montreal) 14 Jul 1952. He began playing harmonica in his teens.
Thibault, Alain. Composer, b Quebec City, 28 Dec 1956; B MUS composition (Montreal) 1983. He studied mainly at the University of Montreal and at Laval University and McGill University.
Alain Trudel. Trombonist, conductor, composer, b Montreal 13 Jun 1966; premiers prix chamber music, trombone (CMM) 1985. Alain Trudel studied (1981-5) at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec with Joseph Zuskin.
Alan Belkin. Composer, organist, teacher, b Montreal 5 Jul 1951; BA (Sir George Williams) 1972, M MA (McGill) 1978, DMA (Julliard) 1983. He first studied with Marvin Duchow (harmony, counterpoint, composition) and with Dom André Laberge (organ), then pursued his organ studies with Bernard Lagacé.
Job Titles:
- Writer, Media Technologist
Alan Bradley, writer, media technologist and teacher (born at Toronto, Ont, 1938). Alan Bradley was raised in Cobourg Ontario.
Heard, Alan. Composer, teacher, b Halifax, NS, 7 Feb 1942; B MUS (McGill) 1962, MFA (Princeton) 1964. He studied composition with István Anhalt at McGill University, Roger Sessions and Earl Kim at Princeton U, and Boris Blacher at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin.
Frederick Alan Edwin Reesor, teacher, organist, conductor, composer (born 14 June 1936 in Markham, ON; died 9 March 2022 In Charlottetown, PEI). B MUS (Toronto) 1957, M MUS (ESM, Rochester) 1965. Alan Reesor studied piano with Gertrude Jackson and organ with Wilfred Powell, John McIntosh, Norman Peterson, and H. William Hawke. Beginning his teaching career in Oshawa, Ontario, he spent 11 years building a successful high school orchestra and band program, while serving as organist and choirmaster at St George's Anglican Church.
Albert Chamberland. Violinist, conductor, producer, teacher, composer, b Montreal 12 Oct 1886, d there 4 Apr 1975. He studied violin with Jean Duquette and later at the McGill Conservatory with Alfred De Sève, and made his debut as a soloist in 1904.
Article Albert David Jordan Albert David Jordan. Organist, conductor, administrator, b Seaforth, near Stratford, Ont, 28 Jul 1877, d Magnetawan, northeast of Parry Sound, Ont, 7 Sep 1932. He was the brother of Henri Kew Jordan and a pupil of F.H. Torrington at the Toronto College of Music.
Albert (Cornelius "Con") Furey. Conductor, composer, arranger, trumpeter, b Dublin 7 Feb 1930, d Victoria 14 Nov 2007. Albert Furey studied in Dublin and, after service with the Irish army, joined the Radio Eireann Light Orchestra as trumpet player and staff arranger.
Albert Greer. Tenor, choir conductor, teacher, b Toronto 23 Feb 1937; BA (Toronto) 1960, ARCT Gold Medal 1964. He studied with Aksel Schiøtz at the University of Toronto and was a member 1956-60 and 1964-7 of the Festival Singers.
(Joseph Jacques) Albert Grenier. Pianist, teacher, administrator, b Shawinigan, Que, 31 Aug 1939; BA (Montreal) 1957, M MUS (Karlsruhe) 1964, L MUS (Montreal) 1971. He took private piano lessons with Georges Savaria and studied with him 1952-6 at the CMM.
(J.O.) Albert LaMadeleine. Violonist, b Valleyfield 10 Mar 1905, d Laval, near Montreal, 4 Jun 1986. He studied with his father, Joseph, and at 17 began to play for dances, making his career initially in the northeastern USA.
Roberval, Albert. Conductor, stage director, tenor, teacher, actor, b Florence 23 Oct 1869, naturalized Canadian 1923, d Montreal 4 Oct 1941.
Steinberg, Albert. Violinist, conductor, born Toronto 11 May 1910, died California 27 Feb 2003. His teachers in Toronto included Broadus Farmer, Luigi von Kunits, and Kathleen Parlow (violin) and Ettore Mazzoleni and Reginald Stewart (conducting).
Albertine Caron-Legris (b Caron, m Legris). Pianist, composer, teacher, b Louiseville, near Trois-Rivières, Que, 1906, d Montreal 1972; B MUS (Montreal) 1942.
Albertine (Rosalie Odile) Morin-Labrecque (b Labrecque, m Morin, also known as Labrecque-Morin). Pianist, soprano, educator, composer, b Montreal 8 Jun 1886 or 1890, d there 22 or 25 Sep 1957; honorary D MUS (Montreal) 1935.
Alberto (b Antonio Alberto García Guerrero) Guerrero. Teacher, pianist, composer, b La Serena, Chile, 6 Feb 1886, d Toronto 7 Nov 1959. Alberto Guerrero's early music studies were with his mother and his older brother Daniel; he was otherwise self-taught.
Alberto Pérez-Gómez, b 24 December 1949 in Mexico City, Mexico. He obtained an undergraduate degree in architecture and engineering in Mexico City, did postgraduate work at Cornell University, and was awarded a Master of Arts (1975) and a PhD (1979) by the University of Essex in England.
Alcibiade Béique. Organist, teacher, b St-Jean-Baptiste-de-Rouville, near Montreal, 20 Oct 1856, d Montreal 20 Jun 1896. After organ lessons with Romain-Octave Pelletier, he studied 1877-8 at the Liège Cons and travelled in Italy, France, and England.
Lanza, Alcides (Emigdio). Composer, conductor, pianist, teacher, b Rosario, Argentina, 2 Jun 1929, naturalized Canadian 1976. In Buenos Aires he studied piano with Ruwin Erlich, conducting with Roberto Kinsky, and composition with Julián Bautista and Alberto Ginastera.
Alex Cuba (born Alexis Puentes), singer, songwriter, producer, musician (born 29 March 1974 in Artemisa, Cuba). Alex Cuba, who lives in the small, northern town of Smithers, BC, is one of the world's leading Latin music artists. A multi-instrumentalist who sings in both Spanish and English, he has released nine albums and won a Grammy Award, two Juno Awards and four Latin Grammy Awards. He has also launched his own record label, Caracol Records.
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Alex (Charles) Kramer. Songwriter, pianist, b Montreal 30 May 1903, d Fairfield, Connecticut, 10 Feb 1998. He studied at the McGill Conservatory, played piano in Montreal movie houses, and conducted orchestras on CFCF and CKAC radio before moving in 1938 to New York.
Job Titles:
- Conductor, Composer, Violinist, Educator ( B at Montréal 14 Mar 1915 D at Montréal 1 April 2005 )
Alexander Brott, conductor, composer, violinist, educator (b at Montréal 14 Mar 1915; d at Montréal 1 April 2005).
LifeAlexander Brott studied violin with Eugene Schneider and Alfred De Sève, and at age 11 performed as soloist in vaudeville.
Alexander Chuhaldin. Violinist, teacher, conductor, composer, b Vladikavkas, North Ossetia-Alania, 27 Aug 1892, d Victoria, BC, 20 Jan 1951. At eight he entered the Imperial Conservatory of Moscow, studying violin with Jules Conus, and at nine he appeared in public.
Alexander Cowper Hutchison, architect (born 2 April 1838 in Montreal, QC; died 1 January 1922 in Montreal). Hutchison was one of Montreal's most prolific and prestigious architects (see Architecture). He epitomized the generation of self-taught men who shaped the city during the second half of the 19th century. He is recognized for several architectural achievements including the Redpath Museum and Montreal's City Hall, which he designed with architect Henri-Maurice Perrault.
Alexander Fraser Laidlaw, co-operative leader, educator, writer (b at Port Hood, NS 12 Jun 1908; d at Ottawa 30 Nov 1980).
Alexander Muir. Songwriter, school principal, poet, b Lesmahagow, near Lanark, Scotland, 5 Apr 1830, d Toronto 26 Jan 1906; BA (Queen's) 1851. His parents settled, when he was three, in Scarborough Township, east of Toronto, and he later taught 1853-60 in several Scarborough schools.
Alexander Peter Pauk, composer, conductor (b at Toronto 4 Oct 1945). As a conductor, Pauk has been a leading exponent of new music in Canada since graduating from the University of Toronto in 1971, where he was a co-founder of the contemporary music collective Array (now ArrayMusic).
Alexander (Reid) Tilley. Educator, composer, conductor, b St John's, Nfld, 8 Nov 1944; B SC (McGill) 1965, BA (Sir George Williams) 1966, B MUS (McGill) 1970. He was raised in Montreal and studied composition with Istvan Anhalt and Bruce Mather and double-bass with Tom Martin.
Alexandre Da Costa. Violinist, born Montreal 30 Oct 1979; MA and premier prix violin (Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Montréal [CMM]) 1998, BA piano performance (Montréal) 1998, Concert Diploma Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia (Madrid) 2001, post graduate diploma Universitat fur Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (Vienna) 2004.
Alexina Diane Louie, OC, OOnt, FRSC, composer, pianist, teacher (born 30 July 1949 in Vancouver, BC). Alexina Louie is one of Canada's most celebrated composers. She writes music with an imaginative and spiritual blend of Asian and Western influences. Her compositions have earned many prizes, including multiple Juno and SOCAN Awards. Her most significant works include Scenes from a Jade Terrace (1988), Music for Heaven and Earth (1990) and Bringing the Tiger Down from the Mountain II (2004). Louie is the first woman to receive the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music and served as composer-in-residence at the Canadian Opera Company from 1996 to 2002. An Officer of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, she has received the Order of Ontario, the Molson Prize and a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
(Joseph Pierre) Alexis Contant. Composer, organist, teacher, pianist, b Montreal 12 Nov 1858, d there 28 Nov 1918.
In 1885 he became organist at St-Jean-Baptiste Church in Montréal, a position he retained until his death.
Alfred De Sève (DeSève, Desève). Violinist, teacher, composer, (b St-Henri [Montreal] May or June 1858, d Montreal 25 Nov 1927). He began violin study at seven with Oscar Martel and made a promising debut six months later. He also was taught by Frantz Jehin-Prume.
Alfred Henrik Garson, violinist, teacher, composer, author (born 22 October 1924 in Berthier-en-Haut (now Berthierville), QC; died 23 May 2022 in Montreal, QC). Violin teacher Alfred Garson was one of Canada's leading advocates of the Suzuki method. He studied with Shinichi Suzuki at the Eastman School of Music and was named director of the Suzuki program at McGill University in 1970. He is the author of The Suzuki Teaching Method and wrote widely on the subject.
Alfred Leopold Kunz, composer, conductor, administrator (born 26 May 1929 in Neudorf, SK; died 16 January 2019 in Kitchener-Waterloo, ON). Alfred Kunz studied composition and conducting 1949-55 at the RCMT and for several summers in the 1960s with Stockhausen and others in Europe. In 1965 he completed the state examinations in choral conducting at the Musikhochschule in Mainz and was assistant conductor of the Mainz City Opera Theatre. He began teaching in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1955. He organized the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Orchestra and Choir in 1959 and was organist-choirmaster 1959-64 at Mount Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church.
La Liberté, (Joseph-François) Alfred. Composer, pianist, teacher, lecturer, b St-Jean, Que, 10 Feb 1882, d Montreal 7 May 1952. He was no longer a child when he took up the piano, studying with a Miss Malsberg, J.-B. Denys, R.-O Pelletier, Dominique Ducharme, and Émiliano Renaud.
Job Titles:
- Organist, Pianist, Singer, Teacher ( Born 29 December 1876 in Montréal, Québec D There 10 Mar 1954 )
Alfred Lamoureux, composer, organist, pianist, singer, teacher (born 29 December 1876 in Montréal, Québec; d there 10 Mar 1954).
Allan (Gordon) Bell. Composer, teacher, conductor, b Calgary 24 May 1953; BA (Alberta) 1974, M MUS (Alberta) 1980. He grew up in Edmonton, with no formal training in music, and did undergraduate work in philosophy 1970-4 at the University of Alberta.
Allan Gilliland. Composer, arranger, trumpeter, teacher, b Darvel, Scotland 10 May 1965; Honours Diploma in Jazz Studies (Humber) 1985, B MUS (Alberta) 1989, M MUS (Alberta) 1996. Allan Gilliland immigrated to Canada with his family in 1972.
Allan Rae. Composer, b Blairmore, near Lethbridge, Alta, 3 Jul 1942. After three years in Calgary as a trumpeter in the Canadian Army Band he studied composition and arranging at the Berklee College of Music, Boston. He was a composer and conductor 1966-70 for CBC Calgary TV and radio.
Allard de Ridder. Conductor, violist, composer, b Dordrecht, Holland, 3 May 1887, d Vancouver 13 May 1966; B MUS (Toronto) 1943, D MUS (Toronto) 1945. He studied violin and conducting in Holland and at the Cologne Cons. His teachers included Johan Wagenaar, Fritz Steinbach, and Willem Mengelberg.
(Louis) Alphonse Lavallée-Smith. Organist, teacher, composer, b Berthierville, near Trois Rivières, Que, 17 Apr 1873, d Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, north of Montreal, 23 Jul 1912. He was the son of Dr Wenceslas Smith and Zénobie Lavallée (first cousin of Calixa Lavallée).
Amanda Meta Marshall, singer, songwriter (b at Toronto, 29 Aug 1972). Marshall began performing at age 16 and was discovered 2 years later by Toronto guitarist Jeff Healey, whose drummer, Tom Stephen, eventually became her manager.
(Pierre-Joseph) Amédée Tremblay. Organist, composer, teacher, b Montreal 14 Apr 1876, d Los Angeles 1949. He began study at 12 with Father Sauvé, the organist at St-Joseph Church, Montreal, continuing with Alcibiade Béique (piano and organ) and Father Cléophas Borduas (Gregorian chant).
Job Titles:
- Senior Subject Editor - Law & Politics, Arts & Culture
Andrew serves as the handling editor for all law, politics, arts and culture entries in The Canadian Encyclopedia. He studied Canadian history at the University of British Columbia and holds a master's degree in film and media studies from the University of North Texas. He worked as a writer, editor and programming consultant at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where he also oversaw the Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Andrew was also a programmer for the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival and the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival. He has written extensively for Montage and POV magazines and worked as a researcher and story producer for several documentary series broadcast on History Television, TSN and CBC.
Andrew Paul MacDonald. Composer, guitarist, conductor, teacher, b Guelph, Ont, 30 Nov 1958; B MUS (Western) 1981, M MUS (Michigan) 1982, DMA (Michigan) 1985. MacDonald began guitar lessons in Guelph at age nine, studying with John Becker, and Bruce French.
Andrew Randall Cobb, architect (b at Brooklyn, NY 13 June 1876; d at Halifax 2 June 1943). After studying at Acadia, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the École des beaux-arts, Paris, Cobb travelled in Italy, returning to Halifax in 1909 and establishing his practice there in 1912.
(Paul) André Asselin. Pianist, composer, writer, born Montreal, 25 Feb 1923, died Montreal 26 Jan 2012. He began piano study with Auguste Descarries and, on two scholarships (1945,1946) from the TCM (RCMT) studied with Ernest Seitz and Lubka Kolessa.
André (Henri) Durieux. Violinist, conductor, arranger, teacher, b Paris 1899, d Montreal 18 Dec 1951. His family settled in Canada in 1911. He studied at the McGill Cons with Saul Brant and in Chicago with Otakar Ševčík and Leopold Auer.
André Gagnon, OC, OQ, pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, actor (born 2 August 1936 in St-Pacôme-de-Kamouraska, QC; died 3 December 2020). André Gagnon was renowned for an eclectic mix of pop and classical music. He worked as accompanist, conductor or arranger for some of the great Quebec chansonniers before his career as a soloist. His compositions span a wide variety of musical styles and were especially popular in Japan. He won Juno Awards for his records Saga (1974) and Neiges (1975), and as best instrumentalist (1977 and 1995). He received the Prix Félix for instrumental album of the year 12 times between 1978 and 2017 and was awarded SOCAN's William Harold Moon Award for his contribution to Canadian music. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and an Officier of the Ordre National du Québec.
André Hamel. Composer, teacher, born 1955. Initially a rock musician, André Hamel turned to composition in the early 1980s, when he began formal studies at the University of Montreal under composer Serge Garant; he received an MA in composition in 1993 under the direction of composer Michel Longtin.
Lamarche, André. Composer, teacher, b Montreal 8 Sep 1954; B MUS composition (Laval) 1976, M MUS composition (Laval) 1978, Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies (RNCM) 1981. After studies at Laval University 1973-8, he continued his training at the RNCM 1979-81.
Desjardins, André Luc. Composer, arranger, b Lévis, near Quebec City, 12 Feb 1955; M MUS electroacoustics (Montreal) 1987. He studied with Pierick Houdy, Armando Santiago, Yves Daoust and Marcelle Deschênes.
Villeneuve, André. Composer, teacher, b Quebec City 10 Mar 1956; premier prix counterpoint (CMM) 1979, premiers prix analysis, composition (CMM) 1983.
André-Gilles Duchemin. Flutist, teacher, b Rouyn-Noranda, Que, 31 Jul 1952; premier prix flute (CMM) 1973. At seven he began piano and flute lessons at the Cons de Val-d'Or, where he continued to study until 1966.
André-Sébastien Savoie. Pianist, accompanist, coach, teacher, b Montreal 25 Jul 1935. At first a pupil of Charles Reiner, André-Sébastien Savoie continued his studies 1952-8 at the McGill Conservatory.
Cheng has received enthusiastic acclaim throughout North America and abroad for her remarkable technique, tonal beauty and insightful musicianship as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. She has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Boston, Montréal, Toronto, Houston, St.
Angela Cheng came to Edmonton with her family as a child, and studied piano at the Alberta College with Vera Shean (1972-6) and at the University of Alberta with Ernesto Lejano (1976-80).
Angela Mary Hewitt, OC, OBE, pianist (born 26 July 1958 in Ottawa, ON). Angela Hewitt is an internationally renowned pianist possessed of exceptional authority, polished technique and deeply expressive musicality.
Article
Anglo-Canadian Leather Company Band
Anglo-Canadian Leather Company Band, or Anglo-Canadian Concert Band. Built on the nucleus of a small band formed by Italian immigrant workers at a Huntsville, Ont, tannery established by Charles Orlando Shaw in 1900.
Angela Sidney (née Johns), (Stóow Ch'óonehte' Máa), CM, Elder, storyteller, author (born 4 January 1902 near Carcross, YT; died 17 July 1991 in Whitehorse, YT). Of Tagish and Tlingit descent, Sidney was one of the last fluent speakers of the Tagish language. A storyteller, Sidney recorded and preserved the stories, traditions, languages, place names and genealogies of her people. She was the first Indigenous woman from Yukon to be appointed to the Order of Canada.
Angelo Fassio. Violinist, conductor, publisher, composer, b St-Étienne, France, 14 Jan 1888, d Montreal 1 Aug 1956. He studied violin in Paris and in Berlin and theory in Barcelona.
Anita Sleeman (b Andrès). Composer, conductor, b San Jose, Cal, 12 Dec 1930, immigrated to Canada 1963; Diploma (Placer College) 1952?, B MUS (UBC) 1971, M MUS (UBC) 1974, DMA (USC) 1982. Anita Sleeman began piano lessons at age three, later taking up trumpet and French horn at school.
(Barbara) Ann Burrows. Teacher, critic, b Entrance, west of Edmonton, 16 Jul 1922; ARCM 1945, M MUS (Indiana) 1964, honorary LL D (Alberta) 1987. Her teachers included Frank Merrick and Frank Howes at the RCM 1942-6, Boris Roubakine in Banff, and Raymond Dudley and György Sebök at Indiana U.
Ann Southam. Composer, teacher, b Winnipeg 4 Feb 1937, d Toronto 25 Nov 2010; Licentiate Diploma (Toronto) 1963. Early on, Ann Southam was interested in visual arts, but she turned to composing at age 15 after attending a summer music camp at the Banff School (now The Banff Centre).
Anna Harriette Edwards Leonowens (born 6 November 1831 in Ahmadnagar, India; died 19 January 1915 in Montreal, Quebec). Anna Leonowens was an educator, author and lecturer who became famous as the British governess to the wives and children of King Mongkut (Rama IV) of Siam (now Thailand) in the 1860s. After leaving Siam, she emigrated to Canada, where she advocated for women's suffrage, taught at McGill University and helped found what is now the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She was the inspiration for Margaret Landon's historical novel, Anna and the King of Siam (1944), and the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I (1951).
Anne Carson, CM, poet, essayist, classical scholar and professor (born 21 June 1950 in Toronto, ON).
Anne Compton, poet, critic and professor (born at Bangor, PE, 1947). Anne Compton was raised on Prince Edward Island, in the farming community of Bangor. She attended the University of Prince Edward Island, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree.
Annie Glen Broder (b Glen, m Broder). Pianist, teacher, critic, b Agra, India, 18?? d Calgary 18 Aug 1937. Educated in England, she was a pupil of Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sir John Stainer at the RCM.
Annie (Margaret) Jenkins (b Lampman). Pianist, organist, choir director, teacher, b Morpeth, near Chatham, Upper Canada (Ontario), 14 May 1866, d Ottawa 12 Jul 1952. A sister of the poet Archibald Lampman, she studied piano with J.D.
Anthony De Sa, writer, teacher (b at Toronto, Ont). Anthony De Sa grew up in the Portugese community of Toronto, Ontario. He attended the University of Toronto and later completed post-graduate work at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
Anthony (Charles) Genge. Composer, pianist, teacher, b Vancouver 22 May 1952; B MUS (Victoria) 1979, M MUS (McGill) 1981, PH D (State U of New York, Buffalo) 1985. He began to play jazz piano professionally as a teenager.
Anthony joined the organization in 2012 after a long career in journalism followed by senior executive positions at a Crown Corporation and one of Canada's largest financial institutions. As a journalist, he served as author, columnist, foreign correspondent, editor of a national news publication and frequent public speaker. As a political and social commentator, he has appeared on many national and international radio and television networks and continues to do so. A Montreal native, Anthony has worked in more than 35 countries abroad as well as all of Canada's provinces and territories, and has previous experience in the not-for-profit sector as a volunteer with several national organizations. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Historica Canada, he leads the organization, oversees all operations and, in collaboration with the Board, provides strategic vision.
Antoine Rodrigue Albert Bouchard, organist, teacher, composer (born 22 March 1932 in St-Philippe-de-Néri, QC; died 21 October 2015 in Sainte-Claire, QC). Antoine Bouchard was an authority on organs and organ music. He performed as an organist in the United States, France, and particularly in eastern and central Canada. He taught organ at Université Laval from 1961 to 1997 and served as director of the School of Music there from 1977 to 1980. He was a founding member of the Amis de l'orgue de Québec and became a board member of the Canadian Music Council in 1978.
Antoine Dessane, organist, pianist, cellist, teacher, composer (b at Forcalquier, near Aix-en-Provence, France 10 Dec 1826; d at Québec City 8 June 1873). Founder of the choral Société musicale.
Despite this, his father withdrew Antoine from the conservatoire in October 1841 and took him and his older brother on a concert tour to promote his music business, first to the USA, and then to the French provinces, Italy, Austria, and Germany.
Antoine Reboulot. Organist, pianist, teacher, composer, (Decize, Nièvre, France, Dec. 17, 1914 - Montreal, July 11, 2002, naturalized Canadian 1978); first prize in organ (Cons national de Paris) 1936, first prize in composition (ibid) 1947.
Antonio Létourneau. Organist, pianist, teacher, b Quebec City 28 Aug 1885, d Montreal 29 Oct 1948. As a child he was a soloist in Notre-Dame Church in Montreal. He began his musical studies in 1900 with Caroline Racicot and as early as 1904 was a pupil of R.-O.
April (Dawn) Verch. Fiddler, composer, b Pembroke, Ont, 7 Apr 1978. Growing up in the Ottawa Valley, where there is a strong tradition of fiddle playing, Verch studied step-dancing at age three, and fiddle (with Rob Dagenais) from age six. Her family were amateur musicians.
Santiago, Armando. Composer, conductor, teacher, administrator, b Lisbon 18 Jun 1932, naturalized Canadian 1972; premier prix music history (Lisbon Cons) 1954, premier prix composition (Lisbon Cons) 1960.
Throughout the controversies that arose over the funding and regulation of the new medium of television, Dunton was a persuasive defender of the corporation's independence and a strong advocate of the need to fund publicly a television system that would be of great national benefit.
Arnold Theodore Spohr, dancer, choreographer, teacher, director (b at Rhein, Sask 26 Dec 1927, d at Winnipeg 12 April 2010). Arnold Spohr was one of the most respected and best-loved figures in Canadian ballet.
Art (Arthur) Morrow. Conductor, arranger, composer, b Westmount (Montreal) 11 Dec 1919. Morrow studied piano 1930-5 with Rose Blackwell in Montreal.
Art (Arthur) Snider (b Sniderman). Pianist, arranger, record producer, b Ottawa 24 Aug 1926, d Toronto 26 May 1987. He studied arranging with Benny Louis and harmony with Philip Podoliak. In his teens he played piano in Toronto dance bands and in 1946 he began coaching pop performers.
Arthur (Bligh) Crighton, organist, teacher, choirmaster (born 6 June 1917 in Calgary, AB; died 14 July 2013 in Edmonton, AB). LRSM 1938, B MUS (Toronto) 1948, LRCT 1948, ACCO 1958, M MUS (California) 1962, DMA (Southern California) 1965.
Arthur Alexander Stoughton, architect (b at Mount Vernon, NY 2 Apr 1867; d at Mount Vernon, NY 14 Jan 1955). Was founder of the department of architecture at the U of Manitoba where he remained as head until his retirement in 1930.
Arthur Benjamin. Pianist, composer, teacher, b Sydney 18 Nov 1893, d London 10 Apr 1960. Having established an international reputation as a pianist and composer in his native Australia and then in England (where he lived after 1921), Benjamin first visited Canada in the 1930s as an adjudicator.
Arthur Erickson's Museum of Anthropology, UBC, echoes the simple and powerful forms of Haida and Kwakiutl houses on the Northwest Coast (courtesy Arthur Erickson Architects).West Vancouver, BC, 1965 (photo by John Fulker circa 1966, courtesy Arthur Erickson Foundation).Arthur Erickson's courthouse is integrated with stepped gardens and the former courthouse, now the Vancouver Art Gallery (photo by James Marsh).Erickson gained wide regard for his ability to create places of great drama with apparent simple means (photo...
Arthur Collingwood. Educator, conductor, organist, composer, b Halifax, Yorkshire, England, 24 Nov 1880, d Montreal 22 Jan 1952; FRCO, honorary FTCL. He studied piano with Claude Pollard and Tobias Matthay, organ with W.H. Garland and Kendrick Pyne, and theory with Charles Pearce and Ebenezer Prout.
(Léandre) Arthur Dumouchel. Organist, teacher, composer, pianist, choirmaster, b Rigaud, near Montreal, 1 Mar 1841, d Albany, NY, 10 Jan 1919. Like his twin brother Édouard Dumouchel he attended the Collège Bourget and studied with his aunt, Esther Fournier (1805-74), the organist at Rigaud.
Arthur (Henry) Egerton (b Egg). Organist-choirmaster, teacher, composer, b Montreal 1891, d Hemmingford, Que, 10 Dec 1957; honorary ARCM, FRCO 1913, B MUS (McGill) 1921, D MUS (Toronto) 1936. He studied organ at the McGill Cons with Percival J.
Arthur Laurendeau. Bass, choirmaster, conductor, teacher, writer on music, b St-Gabriel-de-Brandon, near Joliette, Que, 30 Nov 1880, d Montreal 26 Oct 1963.
Arthur Lismer, painter, educator (born 27 June 1885 in Sheffield, England; died 23 March 1969 in Montréal, QC).
Job Titles:
- Teacher ( Born 1892 in Northampton, Massachusettes Died 25 February 1942 in Hollywood, California )
Arthur Michaud, tenor, teacher (born 1892 in Northampton, Massachusettes; died 25 February 1942 in Hollywood, California).
Arthur Ozolins, pianist (b at Lubeck, Germany 7 Feb 1946). He began piano studies in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At age 13, he entered the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, studying with Talivaldis Kenins and Alberto Guerrero.
(Joseph) Arthur Plamondon. Tenor, teacher, b Montreal 9 June 1881, d near Paris between 1939 and 1945; lauréat (AMQ). He studied paino with Émery Lavigne and then voice with Guillaume Couture, and became a soloist at the Montreal cathedral. He subsequently studied and gave concerts in Paris.
Poynter, Arthur (Robert). Composer, choir conductor, b Hamilton, Ont, 16 Nov 1913, d Toronto 30 Jun 1981; BA (McMaster) 1943, B DIV (McMaster) 1946. He served 1948-58 as a Baptist minister in Toronto and lectured 1955-63 at McMaster Divinity College.
Job Titles:
- Teacher, Songwriter, Singer, Poet, Writer ( Born 12 February 1913 in Change Islands, NL Died 28 August 1995 in St. John 's, NL )
Hughes, Arthur Wellesley. Composer, band arranger, instrumentalist, b eastern Ontario ca 1870, d New York? ca 1945.
Arthur (William) Delamont. Bandmaster, cornetist, b Hereford, England, 25 Jan 1892, d Vancouver 11 Sep 1982. He played clarinet and later cornet with his father and brothers in a Salvation Army band in Hereford.
Audrey Bernice Farnell, soprano, teacher (born 28 July 1921 in Amherst, NS; died 11 September 1995 in Toronto, ON). Audrey Farnell enjoyed a prominent career as both a soloist and recitalist. After winning the 1945-46 Singing Stars of Tomorrow competition, she performed with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Montreal Elgar Choir, the Halifax Choral Society and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, among others. She also performed for Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip during their first Royal Tour of Canada in 1951. Farnell later taught at the Alberta College Music Centre and at the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Job Titles:
- Conductor, Educator, Administrator, Organist, Pianist ( Born 14 August 1861 in Washington, Canada West Died 17 September 1926 in Toronto, on )
Augustus Stephen Vogt, choral conductor, educator, administrator, organist, pianist (born 14 August 1861 in Washington, Canada West; died 17 September 1926 in Toronto, ON).
Aziz Ahmad, novelist, short story writer, critic, translator, historian (born 11 November 1914 in Hyderabad Deccan [present-day India]; died 16 December 1978 in Toronto, ON).
Barbara Cass-Beggs (b Cass, m Beggs). Teacher, folksong collector, singer, b Nottingham, England, 10 Nov 1904, d Ottawa 13 Sep 1990; ARCM 1927, LRAM 1928. She studied voice, piano, pedagogy, and composition at the RCM, where her teachers were Basil Allchin, Percy Buck, C.C.
Barbara Hannigan, CM, soprano, conductor (born 1971 in Waverley, NS). Operatic soprano and orchestra conductor Barbara Hannigan is known across Europe and North America for her innovative performances in the operatic canon and modern operas, and for being one of the few women orchestra conductors. She is perhaps best known for singing in concerts that she conducts, and for concerts that verge on performance art. A Member of the Order of Canada, her recordings have won Gramophone Awards, a Juno Award, a Grammy Award and other prestigious honours. She was named France's Musical Personality of the Year in 2013.
Barrie Phillip Nichol, "bpNichol," writer, sound poet, editor, teacher (b at Vancouver 30 Sept 1944; d at Toronto 25 Sept 1988). bpNichol's tragic early death in 1988 robbed us of one of Canada's leading experimental writers, and a truly generous individual and imagination.
Barry Truax, electroacoustic composer, acoustic communication researcher, professor (b at Chatham, Ont 10 May 1947).
Ben (Benjamin) Mink. Producer, songwriter, violinist, mandolinist, guitarist, composer, b Detroit, of Polish parents, 22 Jan 1951, naturalized Canadian 1967. Ben Mink was raised in Cleveland and taken at age 11 to Toronto.
Bertha Drechsler Adamson (b Hamilton). Violinist, teacher, conductor, b Edinburgh 25 Mar 1848, d Toronto 12 May 1924. A relative of the noted cellists Louis and Karl Drechsler she first studied music with her father, Adam Hamilton, a pianist and organist who taught at the University of Edinburgh.
Beverly "Buffy" Sainte-Marie (born Beverley Jean Santamaria), CC, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, social activist, philanthropist, visual artist (born 20 February 1941 in Stoneham, Massachusetts). Buffy Sainte-Marie is a pioneering and influential singer-songwriter. Since the early 1960s, she has identified as Cree from the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan. She was an important figure in the Greenwich Village and Toronto folk music revivals in the 1960s, and is perhaps best known for her 1964 anti-war anthem "Universal Soldier." It was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. Sainte-Marie also won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Academy Award for co-writing the hit song "Up Where We Belong." She has received the Polaris Music Prize and the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, as well as multiple Juno Awards, Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, lifetime achievement awards and honorary degrees. A Companion of the Order of Canada, she has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame. Long recognized as a preeminent Indigenous artist, Sainte-Marie's racial background was called into question by CBC's The Fifth Estate in October 2023.
Bing Wing Thom, CM, architect (born 8 December 1940 in Hong Kong; died 4 October 2016 in Hong Kong). A Member of the Order of Canada and a winner of the Governor General's Award, Bing Thom's strong design values and holistic approach in practice made him one of Canada's top architects.
Blanche van Ginkel, née Lemco (born 14 December 1923 in London, England; died 20 October 2022 in Toronto, ON). Blanche Lemco van Ginkel was an architect and planner with van Ginkel Associates, in partnership with her husband, H.P. Daniel van Ginkel. Established in 1957, the firm was well known for its modernist design projects. Lemco van Ginkel was the first woman elected as an officer and as a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and the first woman (and first Canadian) to serve as president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. She was also dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Toronto.
Job Titles:
- Conductor, Violinist ( Born 14 March 1944 in Montreal, QC Died 5 April 2022 in Hamilton, on ) .
Boris Brott, conductor, violinist (born 14 March 1944 in Montreal, QC; died 5 April 2022 in Hamilton, ON).
Bruce Mau, designer, author, innovator (born 25 October 1959 in Greater Sudbury, ON).
Callixte Lavallée, composer, pianist, conductor, teacher, administrator, soldier (born 28 December 1842 in Verchères, Canada East; died 21 January 1891 in Boston, Massachusetts). A pioneer in music both in Canada and the United States, Calixa Lavallée was considered one of the "national glories" of Quebec. He is best known for composing the music for "O Canada" and was twice president of the Académie de musique de Québec. Despite this vaunted stature, he spent much of his life outside Canada, served with the Union Army during the American Civil War and called for Canada to be annexed by the United States. The Prix de musique Calixa-Lavallée, awarded by the St-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal for outstanding contributions to the music of Quebec, is named in his honour.
Camille Roy, priest, professor, literary critic (b at Berthier-en-Bas, Qué 22 Oct 1870; d at Québec City 24 June 1943). Though largely outmoded today, Roy's work was representative of his generation.
Job Titles:
- Production Designer, Art Director
Carol Spier, production designer, art director (born in Manitoba). Carol Spier earned a BA in interior design from the University of Manitoba. She began her professional career as an interior designer for a Winnipeg architect.
Job Titles:
- Director of Branding & Digital Media
Chantal has been with the organization since 2007, when she began in a role overseeing external communications. Shortly after, she took on web management and new media strategies, and has since added oversight of related aspects of The Canadian Encyclopedia to her responsibilities. She has an honours degree in Canadian studies from the University of Toronto, as well as a master's degree in journalism new media.
Charles Albert Edwin Harriss, composer, impresario, educator, organist-choirmaster, conductor (born 16 December 1862 in London, England; died 31 July 1929 in Ottawa, ON).
In 1977, Dutoit was appointed principal conductor of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (having guest-conducted it 15 Feb 1977) and began what was unarguably the most successful conductor-orchestra partnership in Canadian history.
Charles Dutoit, conductor (b at Lausanne, Switzerland, 7 Oct 1936). He received his musical education (in violin, viola, piano, percussion, composition and orchestral conducting) at the conservatories of Lausanne and Geneva, where he obtained a premier prix in conducting in 1958.
Charles (Émile Jean Julien) Goulet. Baritone, choir conductor, teacher, impresario, administrator, b Liège 4 Apr 1902, naturalized Canadian 1921, d Montreal 12 Mar 1976; D MUS (Montreal) 1937. He arrived in Montreal with his parents in 1906 and at six began studying the violin with his uncle, J.-J.
Charles Labelle. Choirmaster, composer, conductor, teacher, b Champlain, NY, 15 Aug 1849, d Montreal 21 May 1903. He studied at the Collège de Montréal, where, at 12, he was put in charge of the solfège class and was also the school organist. He became a lawyer in 1873.
Charlotte Gray, historian, biographer (born 3 January 1948 in Sheffield, United Kingdom). Charlotte Gray is the author of a dozen best-selling Canadian history books and an adjunct research professor in the department of history at Carleton University. She is a recipient of the Pierre Berton Award for distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history.
Job Titles:
- Bilingual Subject Editor - Communities
- Editor at the Canadian
Clayton is the communities subject editor at The Canadian Encyclopedia. He has a MA in political science from Concordia University where he researched visible minorities' political behaviour in Canada. He also holds a BA from McGill University in history and political science where he studied a wide range of topics ranging from Canadian voting behaviour to Soviet history. His research interests include topics in military history, immigration and diversity, and Canadian politics.
Eleanor Joanne Daley, OC, composer, organist, choir director, choral clinician (born 21 April 1955 in Parry Sound, ON). Eleanor Daley is a prolific choral composer based in Toronto, Ontario, with over 160 published works and many more unpublished compositions. She is known for her sacred music and text-sensitive, accessible style. Her work is performed, recorded and aired worldwide.
Erin is managing editor of The Canadian Encyclopedia. She joined the publication in 2013 and served as a subject editor for 10 years prior to assuming her current role. During that time she handled several portfolios, namely science, industry, nature and geography. Erin holds an honours BA from the University of Toronto in English and political science, and a Master of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Esther Marjorie Hill, architect (born 29 May 1895 in Guelph, ON; died 7 January 1985 in Victoria, BC). Marjorie Hill was a pioneer of women in the profession of architecture in Canada. The first woman to be admitted to the program in architecture at the University of Alberta in 1916 (the program was discontinued in 1939), she transferred to the University of Toronto, becoming the first woman graduate in architecture in Canada. She was registered as an architect in Alberta in 1925 and in British Columbia in 1952. She was the first woman to serve on the Victoria town planning committee, 1946-52.
Fred Thornton Hollingsworth, architect (born 8 January 1917 in England; died 10 April 2015 in North Vancouver, BC). Hollingsworth is recognized for his contributions towards West Coast Modernism, a distinctive architectural style (see Architecture). He served as president of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
For nearly half a century Frederick G. Todd planned, designed and carried out "public and private works of beautification and utility with nature herself as partner.
George Baird, CM, architect, critic, educator, author (born 25 August 1939 in Toronto, ON; died 17 October 2023 in Toronto). Baird was professor emeritus and former dean of the University of Toronto's John H. Daniel's Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. As an architect, scholar, and educator, Baird has been recognized as one of the most broadly influential figures in his generation of Canadian architects (see Architecture).
George Brough, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, opera coach (born 25 February 1918 in Boston, Lincolnshire, England; died 15 September 2015 in Toronto, ON). George Brough was widely recognized as one of Canada's most skilful, reliable and versatile accompanists. Able to sight-read with tremendous proficiency, he provided secure support for hundreds of performers, from students in competitions to professional artists such as Heinz Holliger, Gervase de Peyer, Henri Temianka, Bernard Turgeon and Jon Vickers. He was an assistant conductor and accompanist with the Canadian Opera Company, an organist with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and taught at the Banff Centre for the Arts and the University of Toronto.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Web & Digital Media
Harrison joined The Canadian Encyclopedia team in 2016 working on all things web. He has a BA from Western University where he studied history, communications and digital humanities. He is interested in social and cultural history and using new technologies to make the study of history as accessible and engaging as possible.
Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green), jazz musician, composer, arranger, bandleader (born 13 May 1912 in Toronto, ON; died 20 March 1988 in Cuernavaca, Mexico.) Known as the "prince of swing," Gil Evans is widely regarded as one of the greatest orchestrators and arrangers in jazz history. He is best known for incorporating unconventional instrumentation (initially French horn, tuba and flute, and later electric instruments) into a big band format, and for his influential collaborations with Miles Davis. Evans was also a central figure in the development of cool jazz, free jazz and jazz fusion. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship, won multiple Grammy Awards and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Jack Lawrence Granatstein, OC, historian, professor (born 21 May 1939 in Toronto, Ontario). One of the most prolific Canadian historians of his generation, Granatstein has written widely on Canadian history and current affairs. A professor of history until his retirement in 1995, Granatstein later became director and CEO of the Canadian War Museum from 1998-2000. He has written over 60 books and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Jeff Barnaby, writer, director, editor, composer (born 2 August 1976 in Listuguj Reserve, QC; died 13 October 2022 in Montreal, QC). Jeff Barnaby was a multitalented Mi'kmaq filmmaker who worked mainly in the horror genre. His award-winning films, such as Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013) and Blood Quantum (2019), are notable for incorporating gritty portrayals of Indigenous characters into stories with elements of science fiction, body horror and magic realism. Barnaby was a rising talent in Canadian and Indigenous cinema. He died of cancer at the age of 46.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Communications Officer
Jess joined The Canadian Encyclopedia's marketing and communications team in 2021 after several years working in the non-profit and education fields. She has a Bachelor of Education in social sciences from McGill University, as well as graduate certificates in applied marketing from McGill University and in communications from Concordia University. A former history teacher and curriculum specialist, Jess is especially interested in untold stories.
Job Titles:
- Bilingual Subject Editor - Science & Industry
Jessica is a bilingual subject editor for The Canadian Encyclopedia overseeing the science and industry portfolios. She completed a BA in anthropology at McGill University with first class honours. Jessica holds a certificate in Canadian Irish studies from Concordia University as well as a MA from the university's Individualized Program. She obtained a post-graduate certificate in museum management and curatorship from Fleming College.
John Allister MacGillivray, CM, songwriter, guitarist, folklorist, author, record producer (born 17 January 1948 in Glace Bay, NS). Allister MacGillivray's songs are largely Celtic in style and Maritime in flavour, including his best-known work, "Song for the Mira," which has become a standard in the Celtic repertoire and something of an anthem in Nova Scotia. He accompanied such acts as John Allan Cameron and Ryan's Fancy before focusing exclusively on songwriting and producing. He has worked with such East Coast stalwarts as Buddy MacMaster and Men of the Deeps, and his songs have been covered by The Barra MacNeils, John McDermott and Anne Murray, among many others.
Job Titles:
- Subject Editor - Indigenous Peoples
Joseph is a subject editor for content related to Indigenous Peoples. He holds a BA from Gustavus Adolphus College in biology and psychological sciences and a MA and PhD in Indigenous studies from the University of Manitoba. During graduate school, Joseph focused his research on the impacts of hydroelectric power production on Indigenous communities in northern Manitoba.
Karl Tremblay, singer, songwriter, video game developer (born 28 October 1976 in Montreal, QC; died 15 November 2023 in Terrebonne, QC). Karl Tremblay was best known as the lead singer of the country- folk rock group Les Cowboys Fringants - widely considered the most influential and popular Quebec rock band of the 21st century. The band has sold more than 1.3 million albums and won 19 Félix Awards, including six for Group of the Year (2003, 2004, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2023), three each for Alternative Album (2002, 2003, 2005) and Rock Album (2012, 2016, 2020), and one for Best-Selling Album of the Year (2020). Tremblay's untimely death from cancer in 2023 at the age of 47 was mourned as a national tragedy in Quebec, similar to the reaction to the death of the Tragically Hip's Gord Downie in English Canada.
Job Titles:
- Organist, Choir Conductor, Critic ( Born 1 December 1907 in Leeds, England ) . FRCO, ARCM
Job Titles:
- Editor
- Subject Editor - Nature & Geography
Lia is a subject editor covering the nature and geography portfolios for The Canadian Encyclopedia. She holds an honours Bachelor of Science in biology and journalism as well as a graduate certificate in knowledge mobilization and science communication, both from Bishop's University. Lia is also working towards a Master of Science in biology from the University of Saskatchewan. Her graduate studies focused on wildlife ecology and forest pathology, while her research interests include conservation, paleontology and epidemiology.
Lynne Cohen, photographer, artist, sculptor, printmaker, filmmaker, teacher (born 3 July 1944 in Racine, Wisconsin; died 12 May 2014 in Montreal, QC). Award-winning photographer Lynne Cohen was perhaps best known for winning the inaugural $50,000 Scotiabank Photography Award in 2011. She also won the Canada Council for the Arts's Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award in 1991 and a Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts in 2005. Her work focuses on everyday interior spaces and how changes in lighting and framing alter how the viewer perceives these environments. She was also a professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa from 1974 to 2005.
Marc Djokic, musician, violinist (born 29 July 1982 in Halifax, NS). Marc Djokic is one of Canada's most accomplished violinists. Primarily a chamber musician, he has also performed as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Quebec Symphony Orchestra. He has played alongside such classical musicians as Beverley Johnston, James Ehnes, Jamie Parker and Measha Brueggergosman. Djokic received the prestigious Prix Goyer in 2017 and was named the concertmaster of the Orchestre classique de Montréal in 2018. He is the son of violinist Philippe Djokic and the brother of cellist Denise Djokic.
Marcel Sabourin, OC, actor, writer, screenwriter, lyricist, producer, director, teacher (born 25 March 1935 in Montreal, QC). An important figure in Quebec cinema and television, Marcel Sabourin has performed in more Quebec films than any other actor. He first came to prominence as Professor Mandibule in the Radio-Canada children's TV programs Les Croquignoles (1963-67) and La Ribouldingue (1967-71). He is perhaps best known for his role as Abel Gagné in Jean-Pierre Lefebvre's acclaimed Abel trilogy. Sabourin received the Jutra-Hommage lifetime achievement award at the Jutra Awards (now Prix Iris) in 1999. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019.
Margaret Olwen MacMillan, historian, author (born 23 December 1943 in Toronto, Ontario). Margaret MacMillan is professor emerita of history at the University of Toronto and international history at the University of Oxford. Her bestselling 2001 book, Paris 1919, examines the lasting impact of the Paris Peace Conference at the end of the First World War. She continues to write about the role of war and peacemaking on human society.
Max Stern, CM, art dealer, gallery owner (born 18 April 1904 in München-Gladbach [now Mönchengladbach], Germany; died 28 May 1987 in Paris, France). Max Stern was a Jewish art dealer and gallery owner. He fled Nazi persecution in Germany before the Second World War. By the late 1940s, he and his wife owned the prestigious Dominion Gallery in Montreal. It was one of the first galleries to champion Canadian artists. In his later years, Stern spent much of his time tracking down artworks that had belonged his family. That effort continues through the Max Stern Art Restitution Project.
Moshe Safdie, CC, architect, professor, urban planner, educator, theorist, author (born 14 July 1938 in Haifa, Palestine [now Israel]). A Companion of the Order of Canada, Moshe Safdie's architectural designs include residential housing, galleries, fine arts complexes, parks, airports, museums, colleges, libraries, government buildings, memorials, masterplans and multi-use complexes. He is perhaps best known in Canada for the Habitat 67 housing complex in Montreal, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and Vancouver Library Square. Safdie's influence is wide reaching, covering nearly 100 projects on five continents. His Boston-based office has extended its branches to Jerusalem, Toronto, Singapore and Shanghai.
Olive Patricia Dickason (née Williamson), CM, Métis journalist, historian, university professor, author (born 6 March 1920 in Winnipeg, MB; died 12 March 2011 in Ottawa, ON). Dickason was the first scholar in Canada to receive a PhD in Indigenous history. Her ground-breaking research and books about Indigenous and Métis history and culture transformed how Canadians perceive the origin of their country and Indigenous peoples. Dickason's work inspired a new generation of scholars, helping to launch Indigenous studies as an area of scholarly research. She received an Order of Canada in recognition of her achievements.
Patricia A. Demers, CM, FRSC, humanist, professor, expert on English literature (born 1946 in Hamilton, ON). Patricia Demers was the first female president of the Royal Society of Canada, serving from 2005 to 2007. She is distinguished professor emeritus at the English and Film Studies Department of the University of Alberta, Calgary, and one of Canada's most decorated literary scholars.
Peter Cardew, architect (born 8 June 1939 in Guildford, England; died 26 October 2020 in Vancouver, BC). Cardew immigrated to Canada in 1966 and established his own architectural firm in Vancouver in 1980. Cardew's architectural projects received critical acclaim and he was the recipient of numerous awards during his career, including the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Gold Medal in 2012. (See also Architecture.)
Raymond Moriyama, CC, OOnt, architect, planner (born 11 October 1929 in Vancouver, BC; died 1 September 2023). Raymond Moriyama is recognized for several landmark buildings both in Canada and abroad. He is renowned for his sensitivity in considering and addressing human scale, for his humanistic approach to design, and his ability to connect architecture with nature and landscape.
Reginald Cornelis Egbert Schwager, CM, jazz guitarist, composer (born 7 May 1962 in Leiden, Netherlands). Reg Schwager is one of Canada's most acclaimed jazz guitarists. Over the course of his 40-year career, he has played with such notable musicians as Peter Appleyard, Diana Krall, Mel Tormé, Chet Baker, Rob McConnell and Oliver Jones. Schwager was named Guitarist of the Year at the National Jazz Awards four years in a row (2005-08) and was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2021.
Robin Poitras, CM, dancer, teacher, choreographer, administrator (born 1958 in Regina, SK). Robin Poitras is the co-founder and artistic and managing director of Regina-based New Dance Horizons. It is one of Canada's most successful and groundbreaking contemporary dance organizations. It has played a crucial role in the development of contemporary dance in Saskatchewan since the mid-1980s. Poitras has received a YWCA Women of Distinction Award for the Arts, as well as lifetime achievement awards from the Regina Mayor's Arts and Business Awards and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. She was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2021.
Sandra Birdsell (née Sandra Bartlette), CM, Mennonite-Métis, short-story writer, novelist (born 22 April 1942 in Hamiota, MB). Birdsell's fiction often investigates the lives of small-town characters, especially women. She has written novels, plays, radio dramas and scripts for television and film. Appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010, Birdsell has been nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award for English Language Fiction three times, and for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2001.
Sean joined The Canadian Encyclopedia in 2022 and works on everything web and code related. He has a Bachelor of Engineering in software engineering from Concordia University. He has an interest in multiple historical topics, including technology, aviation and military history.
Shawn Hook (born Shawn Hlookoff), singer, songwriter, actor, music producer, philanthropist (born 5 September 1984 in Castlegar, BC). Shawn Hook is a pop singer-songwriter best known for the double platinum singles "Sound of Your Heart" and "Reminding Me" (featuring Vanessa Hudgens). He has been nominated for three Juno Awards and received the Allan Slaight Music Impact Honour from Canada's Walk of Fame in 2017.
Susan Avis Bayley Johanson (née Powell), CM, sex educator, broadcaster, nurse (born 29 July 1930 in Toronto, ON; died 28 June 2023 in Thornhill, ON). An iconic Canadian to generations of teenagers, Sue Johanson was a pioneer of sex-positive sex education. An advocate for birth control, safe sex and good sexual health, Johanson was well known for her frank, earnest and often humorous approach to sexuality. Her US TV program, Talk Sex with Sue Johanson (2002-08), was broadcast in 23 countries. She also hosted a radio call-in program and a TV program in Canada and wrote a newspaper column and three books.
Job Titles:
- Editor at the Canadian
- Subject Editor - History
Tabitha has been an editor at The Canadian Encyclopedia since 2013. She has a PhD in history from McMaster University, where she focused on the relationship between war and health in the 18th century. Her research interests include military history, the history of medicine and science, and the history of sport.
Ulrich "Fred" Herzog, photographer, teacher (born 21 September 1930 in Bad Friedrichshall, Germany; died 9 September 2019 in Vancouver, BC). Fred Herzog was a professional medical photographer and a photography instructor at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. He is best known for his colour photographs of Vancouver street scenes, which documented working-class neighbourhoods and the downtown before they were transformed. His use of colour film was unusual for a fine arts photographer, and his work was largely overlooked for years. His first solo show - at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 2007, when he was 76 - received widespread acclaim.
Job Titles:
- Journalist and Educator ( Born at Toronto, Ont. 2 August 1960 ) . the Son of a FRANCO - ONTARIAN Mother and IRISH Canadian Father, Foran Was Raised in Toronto
William Charles Foran, writer, journalist and educator (born at Toronto, Ont. 2 August 1960). The son of a FRANCO-ONTARIAN mother and IRISH Canadian father, Foran was raised in Toronto.
Yannick Nicholas Nézet-Séguin, CC, OQ, conductor, pianist (born 6 March 1975 in Montréal, QC). Known for brilliance, energy and consummate skill from an uncommonly young age, Yannick Nézet-Séguin made a meteoric rise to prominence as a conductor, particularly of operas. His appointments as music director of Montréal's Orchestre Métropolitain (2000-) the Philadelphia Orchestra (2012-) and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (2008-18) made him an international star. He was made a Companion of the Order of Canada at age 37 and an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec at 40. In 2016, he was named music director of The Metropolitan Opera, a position he officially began in September 2018. His many honours include numerous Félix Awards, the National Arts Centre Award, the Virginia Parker Prize and the Prix Denise-Pelletier.