Andrew Dawes (February 7, 1940 – October 30, 2022) was a Canadian violinist. He was known for his performances with the
Orford String Quartet.
Early life and education
Dawes was born in
High River
High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021.
History
The community takes ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
.
Curtin Call: A Photographer's Candid View of 25 Years of Music in Canada
'. Exile Editions, Ltd.; 1994. . p. 127–. His violin teachers included
Clayton Hare
Clayton Hare (July 13, 1909 – December 11, 2001) was a Canadian music teacher, conductor, and violinist. He was the third principal conductor of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and taught at a number of universities including Mount Allison Un ...
[Franz A. J. Szabo. ]
Austrian Immigration to Canada: Selected Essays
'. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP; 1996. . p. 116–. and
Murray Adaskin
Murray Adaskin, (March 28, 1906 – May 6, 2002) was a Toronto-born Canadian violinist, composer, conductor and teacher. After playing violin with a band, he studied composition and became the director of the Music department of the University of ...
, and he studied with
Lorand Fenyves at the Conservatoire de Geneve.
[Ulla Colgress. ]
For the Love of Music: Interviews with Ulla Colgrass. [Robert Aitken ...]
'. Oxford University Press, Incorporated; 1988. . p. 130.
Career
Dawes was first violinist of the Toronto-based
Orford String Quartet throughout its existence from 1965 to 1991.
Concert Life in Puerto Rico, 1957-1992: Views and Reviews
'. La Editorial, UPR; 1998. . p. 63–. The group toured through North America in 1984. He also performed with the
Tokyo String Quartet
The was an international string quartet that operated from 1969 to 2013.
The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music. The founding members attended the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where they studied with Professor Hideo ...
in 1995.
Dawes was a Professor of Music at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...
Faculty of Music. He was Professor Emeritus The
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
School of Music. He was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Catherine Thornhill Steele Chair in Music at
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
. He was a member of the board of directors of the Saint James Music Academy, and a director of the
Vancouver Academy of Music's Chamber Music Institute.
Dawes served as a juror on a number of music competitions, including the London International String Quartet competition, the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and the
Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition The Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition is the largest and oldest continuous chamber music competition in the United States.
In 1973, Joseph E. Fischoff and fellow members of the South Bend Chamber Music Society established a competition t ...
. He was chairman of the
Banff International String Quartet Competition The Banff International String Quartet Competition is held once in three years at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
History
The competition was organized in 1983 by Kenneth Murphy to celebrate the 50th anniversar ...
from 1989 to 2004.
In 2013, the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
produced a video biography written and directed by
Lisa Jackson of Dawes' life entitled ''Dynamic Range''.
As of 2022, the 1770
GB Guadagnini violin that Dawes had played is now known as the 'Dawes, de Long Tearse' Guadagnini. It is currently played by
Robert Uchida
Robert Uchida is a Canadian violinist hailed for his “ravishing sound, eloquence and hypnotic intensity” (Strings magazine). In 2013 he was appointed Concertmaster of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.,[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 c ...]
in 1991
* The Dorothy Somerset Award for Excellence in Performance and Development
* The
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...
*
Juno Awards
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...
: 11 nominations and 3 wins
* Chalmers National Music Award
* The
Canada Council Molson Prize
* 1964 Prix de Virtuosité from the
Conservatoire de Musique de Genève
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 in ...
* 2013
Governor General's Performing Arts Award
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
for Lifetime Artistic Achievement
Recordings
Notable Dawes recordings include
* ''Beethoven Complete Sonatas for Piano & Violin'' with
Jane Coop
Jane Austin Coop (born 18 April 1950 in Saint John, New Brunswick) is a Canadian pianist and music pedagogue. An internationally recognized concert pianist, she has appeared as a recitalist and as a soloist with major symphony orchestras throug ...
* ''Beethoven The Complete Quartets'' with the Orford String Quartet
* ''Mozart String Quartets'' with the Orford String Quartet
References
External links
*
Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawes, Andrew
1940 births
2022 deaths
People from High River
Members of the Order of Canada
Canadian classical violinists
Male classical violinists
Musicians from Alberta
Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners
21st-century classical violinists
21st-century Canadian male musicians
20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers
21st-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers
Canadian male violinists and fiddlers
20th-century classical violinists
20th-century Canadian male musicians