Leo Barkin

Leo Barkin (born May 18, 1905 in Warsaw , † December 2, 1992 in Toronto ) was a Canadian pianist and music teacher .

Barkin took piano lessons from his father as a child and performed as a piano soloist and accompanist in the Ukraine and Poland . In 1926 he came to Toronto , where he initially worked as a silent film accompanist and pianist in vaudeville performances at the Rialro Theater . He then appeared on the radio station CKNC and later on the CBC and was the most listened to pianist in the first 50 years of this station's existence. In addition, he gave piano lessons until 1953 and also looked after instrumentalists and singers afterwards.

Barkin had a special reputation as a piano accompanist and in this capacity he performed with the instrumentalists Mishel Piastro , Gregor Piatigorsky , William Primrose , Ruggiero Ricci , Joseph Szigeti and Zara Nelsova and the singers Igor Gorin , Dorothy Maynor , Jarmila Novotná , Jan Peerce and Leontyne Price , Lawrence Tibbett , Richard Tucker and Jon Vickers and made recordings with Hyman Bress , John Dembeck , Avrahm Galper , Betty-Jean Hagen , Marta Hidy , Charles Jordan , Kathleen Parlow and Albert Pratz .

As a chamber musician , he worked with the Parlow String Quartet and other groups, and he also played the piano parts in several orchestras, including more than 25 years with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra . His repertoire included works by Canadian composers such as Robert Fleming , Srul Irving Glick , Oskar Morawetz and Healey Willan , which he recorded on records.

In 1971 Barkin was awarded the Canadian Music Council Medal , and in 1976 the CBC honored him with a radio documentary. Sara Barkin was best known as a pianist and Jack Barkin as a singer by his siblings .

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• Leo Barkin ( English, French ) In: Encyclopedia of Music in Canada . published by The Canadian Encyclopedia .
• Jewniverse -> Yiddish Music - Leo Barkin