Frances Adaskin

Frances Alice Adaskin, CM (née Marr; August 23, 1900 – March 8, 2001)[1] was a Canadian pianist.

Frances Adaskin
Birth nameFrances Alice Marr
Born(1900-08-23)August 23, 1900
Ridgetown, Ontario, Canada
DiedMarch 8, 2001(2001-03-08) (aged 100)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation(s)Musician, entertainment writer
InstrumentsPiano

Biography

Adaskin was born Frances Alice Marr in Ridgetown, Ontario. She was the daughter of Del and Eunice Marr and the eldest of three siblings. She also began playing the piano at an early age under the direction of Whitney Scherer.[2] She studied at the Alma College and, later, at the Conservatory of Music under Paul Wells.[2]

In 1923, her first engagement as a professional accompanist was with violinist Harry Adaskin (died April 7, 1994).[2] They became a duo and wed in 1926.[1] The couple travelled until 1938 on tour of North America and Europe with the Hart House String Quartet.[2]

Adaskin was also an entertainment writer (mostly of short stories). Many of her works were published in Saturday Night Magazine throughout the 1940s.[note 1][2] She also completed her unpublished memoirs, titled Fran's Scrapbook: A Talking Dream.[note 2]

National Honours

Adaskin received the Order of Canada honour on December 15, 1976. It was awarded for "...a life devoted to music as accompanist of international repute and as a soloist and teacher..."[3] She was invested as a Member on April 29, 1977.[4]

Death

Frances Adaskin died in Vancouver on March 8, 2001, aged 100.[1]

References
Notes
  1. It is unclear what publication of Saturday Night Adaskin was published in the 1940s.
  2. Fran's Scrapbook: A Talking Dream her autobiographical book of memoirs remain unpublished as at 2002.
Citations
  1. Dorenfeld, Joanne; Nygaard King, Betty. "Frances Marr Adaskin". The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. The Historica Dominion Institute. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  2. "Frances Marr Adaskin". University of British Columbia. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  3. The Right Honourable Jules Léger PC, CC, OMM, CD (December 18, 1976). "Frances M. Adaskin » Canada Gazette Part I, Vol. 110, No. 51" (PDF). Canada Gazette. Ottawa: Governor General of Canada. Canada Gazette. Government House. p. 2 (6420 Canada Gazette). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-10. Retrieved January 9, 2012.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Governor General of Canada. "Frances M. Adaskin, C.M." Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2012. In recognition of a life devoted to music as accompanist of international repute and as a soloist and teacher beloved of her colleagues and pupils at the University of British Columbia, where she founded the Music Department.
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