COMPOSER SHOWCASE

Chester Duncan

Professor Chester Duncan was born in Saskatchewan in 1913, but has lived most of his life in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is the composer of over 150 songs, a large number of which are in the library of the Canadian Music Centre. Sixty-five of these songs were recorded in 1983 (two cassettes) with Orville Derraugh, tenor. Among the many poets involved in these settings, special attention has been given to W.H. Auden, W.B. Yeats, Hilaire Belloc, Robert Herrick, A.E. Housman -- and, among the Canadian poets, James Reaney -- with all of whom a number of cycles or groups of songs were made.

Duncan is now a Professor Emeritus of the Department of English, University of Manitoba. For a long period (from 1955 to 1980) he was very active as a piano soloist, accompanist, chamber music player, and critic on the CBC local and national network.

CAPAC

Chester Duncan died March 31, 2002