Felicita Kalejs | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Article

Felicita Kalejs

Felicita (Vilma) Kalejs (b Maizite). Pianist, teacher, born Riga, Latvia, 20 Oct 1911, naturalized Canadian 1955, died Wolfville, NS 1 Oct 2000.

Felicita (Vilma) Kalejs (b Maizite). Pianist, teacher, born Riga, Latvia, 20 Oct 1911, naturalized Canadian 1955, died Wolfville, NS 1 Oct 2000. A private pupil of Anna Aschmann and a graduate of the State Cons in Riga, she taught at that school 1940-2 and later was an accompanist and coach at the Latvian State Opera. She came to Canada in 1949 with her husband, Janis Kalejs, to teach piano at the School of Music, Acadia University. Upon her husband's death she served 1973-4 as acting dean and then retired in 1979. She appeared in numerous recitals with her husband and accompanied many artists on CBC radio, among them Teresa Stratas, Jan Rubes, and Audrey Farnell.