Chris Dafeff

Chris (toff) Dafeff (actually Christo Antonoff ; born December 7, 1894 in Radoviš ; † 1984 ) was a Canadian violinist, choir director and music teacher of Macedonian origin.

As a child, the son of a butcher learned to play various musical instruments (flute, mandolin, violin) by himself. Because of the threat of being drafted into the Turkish army, he fled to Canada in 1912. There he worked in a brush factory, a sheet metal factory, a sausage factory and in road construction. In his spare time he performed as a violinist.

In 1918 he took part in setting up a Macedonian education club, where he set up and directed a choir, with which he soon appeared in front of other immigrant groups (including Ukrainians). He began giving private lessons and took classes in speech training and conducting. In 1922 the Ukrainian immigrant community brought him to West Toronto as a music teacher. Under the most difficult conditions, he built a children's orchestra and a choir here, with which he undertook a successful tour through the cities of Ontario.

In the following years he taught various Ukrainian, Russian, Jewish and Czechoslovak choirs and orchestras and gave concerts for Polish and Macedonian immigrants. He also studied at the Canadian College of Music . In 1940 Ernest MacMillan accepted his application to teach at the Royal Conservatory of Music . There were among others Steven Staryk , Joseph Pach and Ivan Romanoff his students. He himself gave a concert in the largest hall in Canada, the Maple Leaf Gardens , with great success .

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• Canadian Macedonian Historical Society - Tribute to Chris Dafeff
• Violin and Viola Playing and Teaching ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
• Bulgarian Music in Canada ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .