- John Arpin
John Francis Oscar Arpin (
3 December 1936 –8 November ,2007 ) [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?id=330f07f0-beb3-4a0f-ae29-70173376582a] was a Canadiancomposer ,recording artist andentertainer , best known for his work as a virtuosoragtime pianist .Born in
Port McNicoll, Ontario , Arpin was educated at theRoyal Conservatory of Music (Toronto ), graduating at the age of sixteen, and theUniversity of Toronto .Arpin performed and toured widely. He died in
Toronto, Ontario .Recording career
Arpin has recorded more than sixty albums, mostly of
ragtime , but also playsBroadway music ,pop music , and classical music.Performances
Arpin has performed as a solo entertainer and with orchestras throughout the world. In
Canada , he has performed with artists likeMaureen Forrester andPeter Appleyard .Awards
Arpin has been nominated three times for
Juno Award s, given to show excellence in Canadian music.In June, 1998, he won theScott Joplin Award from the Scott Joplin Foundation of Sedalia, Missouri.Critical acclaim
Ragtime great
Eubie Blake pronounced John Arpin "the Chopin of Ragtime", whileThe New York Times labeled him "the Richter of Ragtime". "High Fidelity" magazine said of one of his albums: "This is the best recorded collection of piano rags that I know of and is, I suspect, the most authentically performed."Compositions
Notable among his own compositions are "Jogging Along" (a theme song for the acclaimed CBC radio program "Morningside"). He also composed the theme for
TVOntario 's children's shows, Polka Dot Door and Polka Dot Shorts and writes the music for the shows.Arpin also composed the themes for several CTV network shows in the 1960s.His "Lyric Suite for Piano, Strings and Percussion" won first prize out of 450 entrants in the Yamaha Second International Original Concert inTokyo .he also arranged music for several Canadian recording acts.In 2005, he was commissioned by
St. Michael's Choir School (Toronto) to compose and arrange a "medley" of Christmas tunes which he titled "Yuletide on the Cool Side". It was very warmly received in its premiere on a concert tour across Canada.References
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000116 Canadian Encyclopedia entry]
* [http://www.johnarpin.com Arpin's personal web site]
* [http://johnandmaryjane.blogspot.com/ JohnAndMaryJane.blogspot Blog maintained by Arpin's wife]
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