Andrew Dawes (February 7, 1940 – October 30, 2022) was a Canadian violinist. He was known for his performances with the

Orford String Quartet The Orford String Quartet was a Canadian string quartet active from 1965 through 1991. They came to be the leading string quartet in Canada, and were well-known internationally. Founding In 1951, Gilles Lefebvre launched a summer music camp for Le ...

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 a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

.
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 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 Genève.

Career

Dawes was first violinist of the Toronto-based

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 North America in 1984. He also performed with the

Tokyo String Quartet The were an international string quartet that operated from 1969 to 2013. History 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 Profess ...

in 1995. Dawes was a Professor of Music at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. He was Professor Emeritus of the School of Music,

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. He was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Catherine Thornhill Steele Chair in Music at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. 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 at music competitions including the London International String Quartet Competition, Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and

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 to ...

. He was chair of the Banff International String Quartet Competition from 1989 to 2004. In 2013, the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

produced a brief tribute to Dawes entitled ''Dynamic Range,'' written and directed by Lisa Jackson. As of 2022, the rare 1770 Guadagnini violin that Dawes played from 1957 to 2018 is called the ''Dawes, de Long Tearse''. Robert Uchida is the current performer. Dawes died of prostate cancer on October 30, 2022.

Awards

* Appointed Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

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 () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

: 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 * 2013

Governor General's Performing Arts Award The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement

Recordings

Notable Dawes recordings include * ''Beethoven Complete Sonatas for Piano & Violin'' with Jane Coop * ''Beethoven The Complete Quartets'' with the Orford String Quartet * ''Mozart String Quartets'' with the Orford String Quartet

References

External links

*
Andrew Dawes. The Canadian Encyclopedia
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dawes, Andrew 1940 births 2022 deaths People from High River Members of the Order of Canada Canadian male classical violinists Musicians from Alberta 21st-century Canadian classical violinists 21st-century Canadian male musicians 20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers Canadian male violinists and fiddlers 20th-century Canadian classical violinists 20th-century Canadian male musicians Governor General's Award winners