Frank Squire Welsman was a Canadian conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

, pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and music educator. He began his career as a concert pianist, but ultimately earned his place in Canadian history for establishing Toronto's first symphony orchestra of any standing, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Welsman)

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra was a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario that was active during the first two decades of the 20th century under the leadership of conductor and pianist Frank Welsman. It was the first professional orchestra that existed for any notable length in the city of...

 (no relation to the current orchestra of that name) which was active from 1906-1918. As a composer he wrote a few songs and some instrumental pieces, mostly works for solo piano. His grandson John Welsman

John Welsman

John Welsman is a Canadian composer. The grandson of conductor Frank Welsman and the brother of jazz singer Carol Welsman, he studied music composition privately with Samuel Dolin and Milan Kymlicka. He is best known for his film and television scores which he has written for production companies...

 is a notable film score

Film score

A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...

 composer and his granddaughter Carol Welsman

Carol Welsman

Carol Welsman is a Canadian jazz vocalist and pianist. She is the granddaughter of conductor/composer Frank Welsman and the sister of composer John Welsman. She has been nominated 5 times for the Juno Award....

 is a successful jazz pianist and singer.

Early life and education

Born in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Welsman pursued courses in violin and piano performance at the Toronto College of Music

Toronto College of Music

The Toronto College of Music was a Canadian music conservatory in Toronto, Ontario that was actively providing higher education in music during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Founded in 1888 by conductor F.H. Torrington, the college was notably the first music conservatory affiliated...

 before entering the Leipzig Conservatory in 1894. He studied in Leipzig through 1887 where his teachers included Richard Hoffmann

Richard Hoffmann (composer)

Richard Hoffmann was a United States pianist and composer.-Biography:He came to New York City in his 16th year. He received early instruction from Anton Rubinstein, Franz Liszt, Sigismond Thalberg, Döbler and Meyer...

, Martin Krause

Martin Krause

Martin Krause was a German concert pianist, piano teacher, music critic, and writer.- Career :Martin Krause was born in Lobstädt, Saxony as the youngest son of the choirmaster and church schoolmaster Johann Carl Friedrich Krause in Lobstädt...

, and Gustav Schreck

Gustav Schreck

Gustav Ernst Schreck was a German composer and music educator. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor from 1893 to 1918.-External links:...

. After completing his education at the conservatory, he studied the piano privately with Arnold Mendelssohn

Arnold Mendelssohn

Arnold Ludwig Mendelssohn was a German composer and music teacher.Mendelssohn was born in the then Ratibor, Province of Silesia, son of Felix Mendelssohn's second cousin Wilhelm Mendelssohn who had married in 1854 Louise Aimee Cauer...

 in Germany.

Career

In 1890 Welsam returned to Toronto and commenced a career as a concert pianist in major Canadian cities. He also joined the piano faculty at the Toronto College of Music where he taught until 1906 when he left to join the faculty of the Toronto Conservatory of Music (TCM). He remained active as a concert pianist through 1907, after which he focused on his career as a conductor and educator. However, he did continue to play the piano in concerts of chamber music, particularly in concerts presented by the Welsman Studio Club, an organization he founded in 1914 which presented bi-weekly piano concerts performed by students and faculty of the TCM for over a decade.

In 1906 Welsman formed the Toronto Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. Two years later the orchestra was reorganized to become a professional orchestra entitled the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, which Welsman conducted up through 1918. In the summers of 1923 and 1924 he worked in Huntsville, Ontario as the conductor for the Anglo-Canadian Leather Company Band.

Welsman left the TCM to join the staff of the Canadian Academy of Music

Canadian Academy of Music

The Canadian Academy of Music was a Canadian music conservatory in Toronto, Ontario that was actively providing higher education in music during the first half of the 20th century. The school was founded in 1911 by Albert Gooderham who financed the school out of his own personal fortune and served...

 in 1918, but after six years there returned to the staff of the TCM in 1924 where he remained until his retirement in 1951. From 1928-1931 he served as music director of Alma College

Alma College

Alma College is a private, liberal arts college located in Alma, Michigan. The enrollment is approximately 1,400 students, and the college is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The college's 13th President, Dr...

. Among his notable pupils were Roy Angus, G.D. Atkinson, Margaret Miller Brown, Percy Faith

Percy Faith

Percy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...

, H.K. Jordan, and Kate Bryce Marquis Nelson. He died in Muskoka, Ontario in 1952 at the age of 78.

Source

• Frank Welsman at thecanadianencyclopedia.com