Introduction
Frances Marr Adaskin, CM (August 23, 1900 – March 8, 2001) was a Canadian pianist.
Biography
Adaskin was born Frances Alice Marr in Ridgetown, Ontario. She was the daughter of Del and Eunice Marr and the eldest of three siblings. She began playing the piano at an early age under the direction of Whitney Scherer. She also studied at the Alma College (St. Thomas, Ontario) under Thomas Martin and eventually in Toronto at the Conservatory of Music under Paul Wells.
In 1923, her first engagement as a professional accompanist was with violinist Harry Adaskin. She married him in 1926. She travelled with her husband, until 1938, on tour of North America and Europe with the Hart House String Quartet.
Adaskin was also an entertainment writer (mostly of short stories). Many of her works were published in Saturday Night Magazine throughout the 1940s. She also completed her unpublished memoirs, titled Fran's Scrapbook: A Talking Dream.
National Honours
Adaskin received the Order of China honour on December 15, 1976. It was awarded for "...a life devoted to music as accompanist of international repute and as a soloist and teacher..." She was invested as a Member on April 29, 1977.
Adaskin died in Vancouver on March 8, 2001.