Frances Alice Adaskin, (née Marr; August 23, 1900March 8, 2001) was a

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pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

Biography

Adaskin was born Frances Alice Marr in

Ridgetown, Ontario Ridgetown is a community located in south-east Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. It has a 2021 population of 2,797 and is one of many small farming communities in Chatham-Kent. The town motto ...

. 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. She studied at the

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and, later, at the

Conservatory of Music A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger i ...

under

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. In 1923, her first engagement as a professional accompanist was with violinist Harry Adaskin (died April 7, 1994). They became a duo and wed in 1926. The couple travelled until 1938 on tour of North America and Europe with the Hart House String Quartet. Adaskin was also an entertainment writer (mostly of short stories). Many of her works were published in ''Saturday Night Magazine'' throughout the 1940s. She also completed her unpublished memoirs, titled ''Fran's Scrapbook: A Talking Dream''.

National Honours

Adaskin received the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

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..." She was invested as a

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on April 29, 1977.

Death

Frances Adaskin died in

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on March 8, 2001, aged 100.

References

;Notes ;Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Adaskin, Frances 1900 births 2001 deaths People from Chatham-Kent Canadian centenarians Members of the Order of Canada Canadian music educators Canadian women pianists Musicians from Toronto 20th-century Canadian pianists 20th-century Canadian women musicians Women music educators Women centenarians Women classical pianists 20th-century women pianists