Tālivaldis Ķeniņš

Tālivaldis Ķeniņš (April 23, 1919 – January 21, 2008) was a Latvian-Canadian composer and teacher. He was forced to emigrate from Latvia when it fell under Soviet occupation after World War II, moving to Canada in 1951. He is credited by Canadian musicologist Paul Rapoport with having introduced many European idioms to Canadian art music. CBC Music described him as a “pioneering Canadian composer” Ķeniņš’ secondary school studies were at the Lycée Champollion in Grenoble, France, but he returned home with the outbreak of World War II. From 1940-44, he studied counterpoint and composition at the Latvian Conservatory under Jāzeps Vītols and Ādolfs Ābele in Riga. Ķeniņš made his way to France in the aftermath of the war, He was the recipient of the Périlhou, Gouy d’Arcy and Halphen music prizes. Upon graduating in 1950, he was awarded the Grand Prix Laureate in composition for his Cello Sonata. That same year, he received a scholarship from the UNESCO International Music Council to pursue postgraduate work. Career Ķeniņš’ Septet was performed in 1950 at the Darmstadt New Music Festival, conducted by Hermann Scherchen; the following year, he moved to Toronto, Canada, where he was named