John Arpin
| John Francis Oscar Arpin | |
|---|---|
John Arpin at the 1990 Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri
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| Born |
3 December 1936 Port McNicoll, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 8 November 2007 (aged 70) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Canadian composer, recording artist and entertainer, ragtime pianist. |
John Francis Oscar Arpin (3 December 1936 – 8 November 2007) was a Canadian composer, recording artist and entertainer, best known for his work as a virtuoso ragtime pianist.
Born in Port McNicoll, Ontario Arpin was educated at The Royal Conservatory of Music graduating at the age of sixteen, and the University of Toronto.
Arpin performed and toured widely. He died 8 November 2007 in Toronto, Ontario.
Arpin recorded more than sixty albums, mostly of ragtime, but also played Broadway music, pop music, and classical music.
In 2002 he recorded seven CDs of piano solo music on the April Avenue record label. These albums consisted of favorite Broadway themes and familiar pop tunes. While just two compilations are still available in CD format, most of the other tracks can still be found on iTunes. Here is a complete list:
Arpin performed as a solo entertainer and with orchestras throughout the world. In Canada, he performed with Maureen Forrester and Peter Appleyard.
Arpin was nominated three times for Juno Awards, given to show excellence in Canadian music. In June 1998, he won the Scott Joplin Award from the Scott Joplin Foundation of Sedalia, Missouri.
Ragtime great Eubie Blake pronounced John Arpin "the Chopin of Ragtime", while The New York Times labeled him "the Richter of Ragtime". High Fidelity magazine said of one of his albums: "This is the best recorded collection of piano rags that I know of and is, I suspect, the most authentically performed."
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