Feldbrill, Victor

Feldbrill, Victor, Canadian conductor; b. Toronto, April 4, 1924. He received training in violin from Sigmund Steinberg (1936–43) and in theory from Weinzweig (1939) before studying conducting at the Toronto Cons, of Music with Mazzoleni (1942–43), during which time he was conductor of the Univ. of Toronto Sym. Orch. Following training in harmony and composition with Ho wells at the Royal Coll. of Music and in conducting with Ernest Read at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he was concertmaster and asst. conductor of the Royal Cons, of Music of Toronto Sym. Orch. and Opera Co. (1946–49). He studied violin with Kathleen Parlow (1945–49), took his artist diploma from the Univ. of Toronto (1949), was a conducting student at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood (summer, 1947), of Monteux in Hancock, Maine (summers, 1949–50), and of Otterloo and Zallinger in Salzburg (summer, 1956). He played 1st violin in the Toronto Sym. Orch. (1949–56) and the CBC Sym. Orch. (1952–56). In 1952 he became founder-conductor of the Canadian Chamber Players. In 1956–57 he was asst. conductor of the Toronto Sym. Orch. From 1958 to 1968 he was music director of the Winnipeg Sym. Orch. He served on the staff of the Univ. of Toronto from 1968 to 1982. He also was director of the youth programming of the Toronto Sym. (1968–78); from 1973 to 1977 he was likewise the

resident conductor of the Toronto Sym. He was founder-conductor of the Toronto Sym. Youth Orch. (1973–78). From 1979 to 1981 he was acting music director of the London (Ontario) Sym. Orch. He was a prof, at the Tokyo National Univ. of Art and Music from 1981 to 1987. He served as interim music advisor (1990–91), as music director (1991–93), and as principal guest conductor (from 1993) of the Hamilton (Ontario) Phil. In appreciation for his yeoman service in the cause of promoting contemporary Canadian music, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1985.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire