What person ties all these extraordinary musicians together:
William Aide, John Beckwith, Helmut Blume, Gwendolyn Duchemin, Ray Dudley, Dorothy Sandler Glick, Glenn Gould, Myrtle Rose Guerrero, Stuart Hamilton, Paul Helmer, Horace Lapp, Edward Laufer, Gordana Lazarevich, Pierrette LePage, Edward Magee, Ursula Malkin, Bruce Mather, John McIntyre, Gordon McLean, Oskar Morawetz, Arthur Ozolins, George Ross, R. Murray Schafer, Oleg Telizyn, Malcolm Troup, Neil Van Allen, and Ruth Watson Henderson? *
That would be pianist Alberto Guerrero.
Arriving in Toronto from Chile in 1918 to work at the private music school Hambourg Conservatory, Guerrero went on to teach at the Toronto Conservatory of Music (later known of course as the Royal Conservatory of Music) in 1922. He joined the Faculty of Music in the late 1940s following the post-war expansion of the student body, where he taught until his death in November 1959. His manuscripts, papers, and other items are maintained in the Faculty of Music Library.
For a closer look at his life, please check out Professor John Beckwith’s 2006 book In Search of Alberto Guerrero.
In Search of Alberto Guerrero book cover
Piano remains a strong subject of study at the Faculty of Music. Today at noon, Professor Enrico Elisi performs Mozart, Rihm, Chihara (world premiere) and Beethoven in Walter Hall.
Next week Piano Fest kicks off on Thursday December 6 at 7 pm with additional performances on Saturday December 8 at 2:30 pm and Sunday December 9 at 2:30 pm. All Piano Fest concerts are free and in Walter Hall.
*With thanks to The Canadian Encyclopedia for this list!