John Beckwith
Latest Albums
- Paul Helmer, Bruce Mather, Lawrence Beckwith, Vivienne Spiteri, Joseph Macerollo, Kirk Elliott, Sharlene Wallace
- Eitan Cornfield, Elmer Iseler, Delores Kay-Hee, Judy Loman, Harold Burke, Donald Wherry, Robert Aitken, Canadian Brass, Therese Costes, Connie Gitlin, Patricia Rideout, Alexander Gray, Stephen Ralls, John Beckwith, Donald Bartle, Canada Festival Singers, Mary Morrison, Ronald Laurie, Monica Whicher, Norman Tobias, Joseph Umbrico
- Barbara Pentland, Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan, Chia Chou, Canadian National Arts Centre Orchestra, Jerome Pernod, Canada Quartet, Hannaford Street Silver Band, Victor Feldbrill, Arthur Polson, Angela Hewitt, Tsung Yeh, Mario Bernardi, Robert Aitken, Musici di Montreal, I, John Avison, Colin Tilney, Steven Staryk, Luca Pfaff, Festival Singers of Toronto, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, James Hunter, Marion Ross, Norma Beecroft, Robert Rogers, The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Yves Prin, Orchestre National de France, Quebec Contemporary Music Society, Serge Garant, Days Months and Years to Come, Elmer Iseler, Yuli Turovsky, Erica Goodman, Lyric Arts Trio, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Canada Festival Singers, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
- John Beckwith, Oxford String Quartet, Valerie Weeks, Patrick Wedd, Jane Coop, Helena Bowkun, William Aide
Biography
John Beckwith studied at Toronto University and in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and served as a teacher in Toronto. He was music critic and columnist for the Toronto Star. A prolific composer, his work included ballets, chamber operas, and choral pieces. Many of his later works were collage pieces that utilize text and theatre as well as music. This method of composition was evident in the series Canada Dash, Canada Dot, commissioned by the CBC. Beckwith insisted he was not a nationalist. However, he consistently wrote from his home in southern Ontario and stated that "I believe in the importance of environment, local colour, 'accent.' Music ... achieves universality at least partly through loving care and attention paid to these things." John Beckwith died December 5, 2022 while in treatment for pneumonia at a hospital in Toronto. He was 95 years of age. ~ Lynn Vought