Staff Band Participates in Glenn Gould Tribute

An ensemble made up of members of the Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster Brian Burditt) took part in ceremonies honoring the late Canadian master musician Glenn Gould on Tuesday, 25 September 2007. The Salvation Army joined with the Glenn Gould Foundation, the Glenn Gould Estate, and the Toronto Legacy Project of the City of Toronto to celebrate the life of Gould, an internationally acclaimed concert pianist and Canadian icon. The date was chosen to coincide with what would have been Gould’s 75th birthday. The event helped launch the Year of Glenn Gould.

The Staff Band ensemble was pleased to support the dedication and opening of Glenn Gould Place, near Roy Thomson Hall, in honor of the occasion. The ensemble, along with other participating musicians, played a selection of classical transcriptions in keeping with the nature of the occasion, before a new painting of Gould was unveiled and part of Metro Square was officially designated Glenn Gould Place by Toronto City Councillor Kyle Rae.

In 1982, Canada and the world lost an important thinker and communicator with Gould’s untimely death at the age of 50. He was a man of compassion, a fact made evident by the gift of approximately half of his estate to the Salvation Army. Extremely grateful for this gift, the Army has used it over the past 25 years for countless projects, much of it going toward music-related programs benefiting corps and young musicians in the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

For more information on the life of Glenn Gould and the Year of Glenn Gould, visit the Glenn Gould Foundation.