Goldschmidt, Nicholas

Nicholas Goldschmidt, the great-nephew of the composer Adalbert von Goldschmidt ^[1] , was born at the end of 1906 in Tavikovice (Moravia). He was educated at the Vienna Academy of Music ; Joseph Marx taught him the composition, and Paul Weingarten the piano.

After graduation, Goldschmidt begins a conducting career. He conducted in several cities of Czechoslovakia and Belgium, and in 1937 he emigrated to the United States. From 1938 to 1942 he headed the opera department of the Conservatory of San Francisco and Stanford University, and from 1942 to 1944 he held the same position at Columbia University. Then, at the invitation of Arnold Walter, Goldschmidt moved to Toronto, where from 1946 to 1957 he was the director of the Royal Conservatory's opera school. At the same time since 1949 he has been the music director of the newly created CBC opera company, and since 1950 he has been the music director of the Association of Opera Festivals . In this capacity, he directed the production of 13 operas, including Rigoletto (in 1950 and 1954) and Figaro 's Weddings (in 1951 and 1955). In 1951, Goldschmidt received Canadian citizenship.

From 1957 to 1964, Goldschmidt served as artistic director and general manager of the Vancouver International Festival, and from 1964 to 1968 he headed the stage arts department at the Canadian Centennial Celebration Commission. In the same years, he creates the Century Chorus of the Century ( Eng. Centennial Choir ), whose conductor remains until 1972. From 1968 to 1975, he is the music director of the University of Guelph , where he has been organizing the Guelph Spring Festival since 1968. He remains the artistic director of the festival until 1987. During this time, among the festival productions, he organized the first performances in Canada of “The Prodigal Son” of Britten (1969) and “Two Widows” of Smetana (1982), as well as the author’s concert of Krzysztof Penderetsky (1976). After the resignation of the organizers of the festival in honor of Goldschmidt, a scholarship was established for young singers.

In 1980, Goldschmidt became a member of the Council of Canada for the Arts and chairman of the preparation committee for the celebration of the centenary of Healy Willan . From 1981 to 1983, he served on the advisory board of the National Library of Canada . In 1985, he was Executive Director of the Bach International Festival , and in 1989, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Choir Festival. He continued to organize music festivals until 2003. Nicholas Goldschmidt died in February 2004.

Nicholas Goldschmidt received honorary academic degrees from the University of Guelf, the University of Toronto and York , the Royal College of Music in Hamilton (Ontario) and the Royal Conservatory of Toronto .

In 1976, he was awarded the Medal of the Canadian Council on Music, and in 1978 became an officer of the Order of Canada (promoted to companion of the Order of Canada in 1989). He is also a laureate of the Ontario Order (1994) and Governor-General's Prize for Performing Arts (1997).

• Maria Corvin, Patricia Wardrop, Betty Nygaard King . Nicholas Goldschmidt (The Canadian Encyclopedia)