Geoffrey Waddington

Geoffrey Waddington, conductor, administrator (b at Leicester, Eng 23 Sept 1904; d at Toronto 3 Jan 1966). He learned the violin while growing up in Lethbridge, Alta, where he made his conducting debut before age 12. Waddington joined the Toronto Conservatory's faculty in 1922, simultaneously beginning a career as a radio musician. He joined the CBC in 1947, founded the CBC Symphony Orchestra in 1952 and remained its music director until 1964. In this influential position, he continually sought out the country's best performing talent for national and international exposure and regularly commissioned new music from Canadian composers. He received an honorary doctorate from Dalhousie University in 1957, and the Alberta Music Award for services to Canadian music in 1961.