Search for ""

John Henry Dunn, officeholder, politician, businessman (baptized at St Helena 26 Feb 1792; d at London, Eng 21 Apr 1854).

The often astonishing Léolo is Québec director Jean-Claude Lauzon’s second and final feature film before his tragic death. A visually stunning, magical realist tale of a young boy’s coming-of-age in a wildly dysfunctional family, it won three Genie Awards and is generally considered one of the best Canadian films ever made. It was named the best film of 1992 by Maclean’s magazine and one of the top 10 films of 1993 by Time magazine, which also named it one of the 100 best films of all time in 2005. A 2015 poll conducted by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) ranked it No. 5 in a list of the Top 10 Canadian films of all time, while another in 2016 listed the film as one of 150 essential works in Canadian cinema history.

Songwriters and Songwriting (English Canada) 1921-1954. Several Canadian songwriters who had enjoyed national and international success in the era prior to 1920 continued to produce hits after the introduction of commercial radio.

George London (b Burnstein). Bass-baritone, stage director, b Montreal 30 May 1920, of Russian-Jewish-US parents living in Montreal, d Armonk, near New York, 24 Mar 1985. He was registered at birth as a US citizen and moved with his parents to California when he was 15.

Certain dignitaries, explorers, and political and religious leaders have contributed to Canada's musical history through their own musical talents, as patrons of the arts or passively as dedicatees of Canadian compositions.

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.

Thomas Alfred Patrick, physician, legislator (b at Ilderton, Ont 23 Dec 1864; d at North Battleford, Sask 6 Sept 1943). After graduating from Western in 1888, Patrick practised medicine and surgery in Saltcoats, Saskatchewan, until 1894 and in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, until 1939.

Hétu's compositional output comprises over 50 works in diverse forms, making him one of the most frequently performed composers worldwide. Though not revolutionary, his musical idiom combines modality and dissonance with expressiveness and forcefulness.

Jennifer Heil, freestyle mogul skier, community activist (born 11 April 1983 in Edmonton, AB). Mogul skier Jennifer Heil, nicknamed "Little Pepper," was the first Canadian female freestyle mogul skier to win a medal in Olympic competition.

It was on the Second City mainstage that she was first noticed when in 1986 she was nominated for a DORA AWARD for best actress in a musical/revue for her roles in both Not Based on Anything by Stephen King and Bordering on Madness.

Mimi Kuzyk, actor (born at Winnipeg 21 Feb 1952). Mimi Kuzyk was a child performer with the Winnipeg Ukrainian dance ensemble Rusalka and briefly studied at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. In 1977 she moved to Toronto and began her career as a professional actor.

Eugen (Friedrich) Gmeiner. Organist, teacher, b Bucharest, of Austrian parents, 26 Aug 1927, naturalized Canadian 1962, d Halifax 17 May 1977; M MUS (Michigan) 1967. He studied with Karl Walter at the Vienna Academy of Music and graduated in 1949.

Berkley E. Chadwick. Choir conductor, b Saint John, NB, 19 Nov 1880, d Hudson, near Montreal, 1964. He spent most of his life in Montreal and for several years was choirmaster at Erskine and American United Church.

Morten Parker, director, writer, producer, educator (b at Winnipeg 28 July 1919). Morten Parker began his career as a journalist and joined the NATIONAL FILM BOARD (NFB) in 1943 to work on numerous documentaries as a writer and director. Eventually he was made responsible for the NFB's labour films.

Bress, Hyman. Violinist, b Cape Town, South Africa, 30 Jun 1931, naturalized Canadian 1952, d Montreal 30 Oct 1995. He took his first lessons with his father, making his debut with the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra at nine and performing extensively in South Africa afterwards.

Noël (Armand) Brunet. Violinist, teacher, b Montreal 25 Dec 1916, d Chicoutimi, Que, 11 Aug 1973; premier prix (Royal Cons of Brussels) 1939. After violin study with his brother Henri he trained with Alfred De Sève.

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.

Frederick H. (Harold) Blair. Organist-choirmaster, pianist, teacher, b Chatham, NB, 10 Jan 1874, d at sea, near the Hebrides, 3 Sep 1939. As a youth he held church organ positions while studying piano and organ with A.W.S. Smythe in Chatham and Thomas Morley in Saint John, NB.