Harold Brown

Harold (Douglas) Brown, pianist and coach was born in Wynyard, near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada on October 28, 1917. He earned the designation of ATCM – Associate Diploma from the Toronto Conservatory of Music in 1935 (which later became the Royal Conservatory of Music). After studying in his home town he moved to Vancouver, in 1936. A leading ensemble pianist in Vancouver, Brown toured with various chamber groups including the Cassenti Players in the mid-1950s. He had often been heard (as soloist and accompanist) on CBC Radio and also appeared on television. He was accompanist for the British Columbia (later Kiwanis) Music Festival, the Vancouver Opera, Theatre Under the Stars, and pianist for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Brown was an accompanist and coach at the Banff Centrefor the Arts, and engaged in assisting both singers and pianists. He accompanied Judith Forst, Arthur Polson, Marie Schilder, George Zukerman and many others. In 1973 he became music director of the Unitarian Church of Vancouver, a position held until 1990. Harold also served as an adjudicator at competition festivals and for such organizations as the British Columbia Registered Music Teachers Association and the Clef Society. Among the works he premiered was Robert Turner’s Diversities for violin, bassoon and piano (with Arthur Polson and George Zukerman). A pianist and teacher of marked sensitivity and insight, Brown justly enjoyed the confidence of the many singers and instrumentalists with whom he had worked. Harold died at the age of 93 on January 4, 2011 in Burnaby BC.

Following his death, the Vancouver International Song Institute (VISI) established a memorial scholarship in his honour. VISI also praised Brown as “a pianist of extraordinary insight and a collaborative artist of strength and sensitivity” at a memorial tribute concert in 2012.