Robert Harris: "John Weinzweig was more than just a mentor and a gifted creator"
The Toronto that composer John Weinzweig was born into a hundred years ago has more or less disappeared. Yes, many of the buildings are the same. The Weinzweig family home at College and Clinton, in fact, is still there – it’s getting a historical plaque next week to honour him as the dean of Canadian classical composition.
But the spirit of the city – its mores, its arts scene, its culture, its people, its heart – has all changed. And this week, as fine Canadian performers and the University of Toronto honour the centenary of Weinzweig’s birth with a series of concerts and a day-long symposium, it’s worth noting that those changes are due, in no small measure, to the efforts of the composer himself. If there are Canadians today who can make a professional living writing serious music, it’s because of the pioneering efforts of Weinzweig.
Read full article here. Published in The Globe and Mail.