Lawrence Jones

Jones, Lawrence

Lawrence Jones. Pianist, teacher, adjudicator, examiner, b Ninga, near Brandon, Man, 26 Mar 1936; ARCT 1954, Associate Diploma, piano (Western Board of Music) 1954, Licentiate Diploma, music (Manitoba) 1957, BA (Manitoba) 1957, M MUS (Yale) 1959, DMA piano performance, pedagogy (Iowa) 1985. In 1950 Lawrence Jones moved with his family to Winnipeg, where he began studies with Filmer Hubble. Following graduation from Yale, he taught briefly at the University of Manitoba and joined the Faculty of Music at Brandon University in 1961. Meanwhile he continued his studies, at the University of Minnesota 1960-62 with Bernard Weiser, and at the Juilliard School 1967-68. In 1975 while pursuing doctoral studies he attended the International String Workshop at Exeter, England, and in 1976 the Dartington Summer School. In 1985 he studied with Kendall Taylor at the Royal College of Music (London) and in 1986 with Jeaneane Dowis (New York).

Jones performed widely in the Atlantic provinces and in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in concert and on the CBC as soloist, ensemble pianist, and accompanist. With Francis Chaplin he premiered the piano version of S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté's violin concerto in 1951 at Brandon University. He was official accompanist at the Manitoba finals of the CIBC National Music Festival, and began in 1962 to adjudicate throughout Canada at music festivals. Beginning in 1970 he has assisted in curriculum preparation for the Western Board of Music, chairing the sight-reading and ear-training committees. He was secretary of Canadian Association of University Schools of Music, 1973-75, chairman of the Brandon University music library committee 1969-77, and a member of the board of the International Music Camp, Manitoba, 1981-87. In 1987 he was appointed dean of the School of Music at Brandon. Upon retirement, he was appointed professor emeritus. He was the pianist of the New Brandon Trio, and was artistic director of the 2005 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition.