Robin HARRISON

ROBIN HARRISON
Robin Harrison, LRAM (Royal Academy of Music), ARCM (Royal College of Music), FTCL (Trinity College, London), ARAM (Royal Academy of Music), passed away aged 80 years in Burnaby, B. C. on May 19, 2013. A passionate musician all his life, he studied piano with Harold Craxton at the Royal Academy of Music, followed by studies with Carlo Zecchi in Rome and Salzburg, and with Ilona Kabos in London. Robin's busy concert schedule included performing in the Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, among other international appearances. He also broadcast many times on the BBC before moving to Canada in 1970 to become Head of the Piano Division at the University of Saskatchewan. Robin's concert career continued in North America. He gave a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in 1984. He was a guest artist at the American Liszt Society Festivals in Canada and the US, and the American Matthay Association, and performed on CBC broadcasts. Robin recorded three solo albums of works by Chopin, Haydn, Mozart, Faure and Albeniz. Robin held many workshops and master classes, examined, and adjudicated at international and local music festivals. In 1994, he retired to Cape Breton where he continued to teach and perform, then moved to Vancouver in 2008. When not busy with professional engagements, Robin enjoyed gourmet cooking, winemaking, and beekeeping. Always warm and gregarious - and a raconteur extraordinaire - Robin made and maintained friendships around the world and over many decades. Colleagues and former students remember his encouragement, wisdom, and humour. Above all, Robin believed that music was a manifestation of love. Robin was predeceased by his first wife Eva in 1977. Leaving to mourn him are their children David, Mark, Lucy and Paul Harrison; brother Patrick (Mary); former wife Marilyn; and present wife Rachel Anderson. Robin's service was held in Vancouver on June 4, 2013. A memorial concert will be held in Saskatoon in Convocation Hall, University of Saskatchewan on July 28, 2013 at 7 p.m. Donations may be made to the Robin Harrison Piano Scholarship Fund at the University of Saskatchewan C/O Humanities and Fine Arts Administration, Arts 522, 9 Campus Dr., Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5. CARPE DIEM