Mona Bates | |
---|---|
![]() Mona Bates, from a 1928 publication | |
Background information | |
Born | Burlington, Ontario | October 31, 1889
Died | March 29, 1971 | (aged 81)
Occupation(s) | Musician, instructor |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Mona Bates (October 31, 1889 – March 29, 1971) was a Canadian concert pianist and music instructor.
Bates was born in Burlington, Ontario to Dr. Frank De Witt Bates and Annabel (nee Grant) Bates. [1] She began playing the piano at fives years of age. [2] She performed in her first public recital two years later. [3] [4] She studied music with J. E. P. Aldous, Edward Fisher, Augustus Stephen Vogt and Viggo Kihl. [5] Bates attended at the Toronto Conservatory of Music as a child and was the youngest student to be named a "First Honour" graduate. [2] She began teaching at the school in 1912. [5]
Bates met Ernest Hutcheson in 1916 while in New York on Chautauqua. [2] She went on to study with him and work as his assistant at the Juilliard School. [5] During the First World War she played at soldier camps in Canada and the United States. [2] Bates debuted in New York City at Aeolian Hall on April 9, 1920, where she was noted by the New York Times as receiving "frequent and hearty applause." [6] She performed as a soloist with the Lewisohn Stadium Orchestra and the New York Symphony Orchestra. [4] She went on to tour internationally performing in London, Budapest, Vienna and Paris. [5] Bates was quoted in the Toronto Daily Star as saying that the experience of playing a musical arrangement in Budapest prepared by Count Apponyi on Franz Liszt's piano "one of the proudest moments of my life". [7] While touring Europe she often performed using the name Anom Setab, a reverse spelling of her name, to appear more exotic. [5]
Bates retired from touring in 1925 to open a music studio in Toronto, where she taught for several decades. [5] The school operated out of an old Massey family mansion on Jarvis Street. [3] Her students included Margaret Miller Brown, George Crum, Marian Grudeff, Clifford Poole, and Naomi Yanova. [5] In 1931, she established the Ten Piano Ensemble, which was affiliated with the Musical Manifesto Group of Toronto. [1] During the war, the two groups held concerts to entertain service men and raise money for the Red Cross. [1] In addition to running the school Bates was a member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's women's committee and the Ontario Music Teachers' Association. [4]
Bates died in Toronto on March 29, 1971, from Parkinson's disease, having retired four years prior due to illness. [4] In an obituary about Bates' life the Toronto Daily Star referred to her as "Canada's first internationally famous pianist".
Mona Bates | |
---|---|
![]() Mona Bates, from a 1928 publication | |
Background information | |
Born | Burlington, Ontario | October 31, 1889
Died | March 29, 1971 | (aged 81)
Occupation(s) | Musician, instructor |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Mona Bates (October 31, 1889 – March 29, 1971) was a Canadian concert pianist and music instructor.
Bates was born in Burlington, Ontario to Dr. Frank De Witt Bates and Annabel (nee Grant) Bates. [1] She began playing the piano at fives years of age. [2] She performed in her first public recital two years later. [3] [4] She studied music with J. E. P. Aldous, Edward Fisher, Augustus Stephen Vogt and Viggo Kihl. [5] Bates attended at the Toronto Conservatory of Music as a child and was the youngest student to be named a "First Honour" graduate. [2] She began teaching at the school in 1912. [5]
Bates met Ernest Hutcheson in 1916 while in New York on Chautauqua. [2] She went on to study with him and work as his assistant at the Juilliard School. [5] During the First World War she played at soldier camps in Canada and the United States. [2] Bates debuted in New York City at Aeolian Hall on April 9, 1920, where she was noted by the New York Times as receiving "frequent and hearty applause." [6] She performed as a soloist with the Lewisohn Stadium Orchestra and the New York Symphony Orchestra. [4] She went on to tour internationally performing in London, Budapest, Vienna and Paris. [5] Bates was quoted in the Toronto Daily Star as saying that the experience of playing a musical arrangement in Budapest prepared by Count Apponyi on Franz Liszt's piano "one of the proudest moments of my life". [7] While touring Europe she often performed using the name Anom Setab, a reverse spelling of her name, to appear more exotic. [5]
Bates retired from touring in 1925 to open a music studio in Toronto, where she taught for several decades. [5] The school operated out of an old Massey family mansion on Jarvis Street. [3] Her students included Margaret Miller Brown, George Crum, Marian Grudeff, Clifford Poole, and Naomi Yanova. [5] In 1931, she established the Ten Piano Ensemble, which was affiliated with the Musical Manifesto Group of Toronto. [1] During the war, the two groups held concerts to entertain service men and raise money for the Red Cross. [1] In addition to running the school Bates was a member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's women's committee and the Ontario Music Teachers' Association. [4]
Bates died in Toronto on March 29, 1971, from Parkinson's disease, having retired four years prior due to illness. [4] In an obituary about Bates' life the Toronto Daily Star referred to her as "Canada's first internationally famous pianist".