Growing with Canada

During the second half of the twentieth century, musical life in Canada flourished as never before, due in large measure to a generation of European emigres who worked to establish a uniquely Canadian culture of classical music, teaching, playing, and composing 'in the key of Canada'. Based on years of detailed and extensive interviews with some seventy people, and supplemented by a wide range of archival material, "Growing with Canada" reveals how these men and women came to Canada and the roles they played in developing musical culture here, weaving the larger story of post-war Canadian music performance, production, and education around their testimony. Paul Helmer shows that emigres were at the centre of the developing musical milieu, particularly in Toronto and Montreal. They were able to overcome the dominating British presence in post-secondary music education and vastly expanded the role music played in universities. They also pioneered the performance and production of opera in Canada. From British Columbia to Newfoundland, they served as educators, teachers, and administrators as well as outstanding performers, conductors, composers, music historians, radio and television producers, and benefactors. "Growing with Canada" provides a personal and lively perspective on one of the most significant eras of musical development in Canadian history. Canadian musicians and audiences continue to benefit from the impressive achievements of the individuals chronicled in this book.