The City of Beaconsfield has issued an illustrated Beaconsfield Treasures Map.
In support of the Beaconsfield Treasures Map click here and use the dropdown box control on the left of that page to select the place of interest which you would like to view.
IMPORTANT NOTICE - CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION
The City of Beaconsfield is working closely with the provincial health authorities regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and it had decided to close, on March 13, 2020, municipal facilities offering activities to the public, in order to respond to the risks of potential infections in our region.
Following a survey with members and friends, the Board of Directors of SHBBHS has decided to resume its lectures as of October 2020 but in virtual mode.
Check our website regularly as some last minute changes are possible.
Until further notice, the lectures will be in virtual mode and available free for everyone.
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Our lectures take place on the 3rd Thursday of the month, starting at 19:30.
Everyone is welcome.
The SHBBHS is privately funded. We thank Roberta Angell for her bequest that makes it possible for us to offer our lectures for free during this time of crisis.
Information: Contact us
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George M. Brewer and the Music Scene in Montreal
during the First Half of the 20th Century
Speakers: Lorne Huston and Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre
When: Thursday, November 18, 2021, 19:30 to 21:00
Where: To be confirmed - In virtual mode or on site
Lecture mainly in English with an introduction and a short section of the main presentation in French, followed by a bilingual question period.
Portrait of George M. Brewer circa 1929-1930, By Edwin Holgate.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Photograph: Christine Guest.
George M. Brewer (1889-1947) was a fascinating, and now long-forgotten, figure on the music scene in Montreal during the first half of the twentieth century. By profession, he was an organist at the Church of the Messiah as the Unitarian Church of Montreal was known at that time. By inclination, he was a theatre producer – of medieval dramas. But above all, he was an educator. He would perform organ adaptations of music rarely heard in Montreal, music which he discovered and collected on his numerous voyages all over Europe and beyond. And he would not just play the music; he would also talk about it and situate it in its historical, philosophical, and musical context.
His story is interesting enough in itself but it is even more so when we try to understand who was listening to him and who supported him. We discover a rich network of clubs, societies, and associations through which Brewer moved -- in English mainly but also in French. From the Pen & Pencil Club to the Société Casavant, from the Masonic Study Club to the Conservatoire de musique du Québec, Lorne Huston and Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre will introduce us to this lively environment of music lovers in Montreal during the interwar years.
Lorne Huston holds a PhD in history from Concordia University and a Master's degree in Sociology from the Université de Montréal. He has been doing research on the history of the arts sector in English Montreal since he retired from active teaching at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit in 2010. In addition to the book he co-authored with Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre on the Montreal musicologist, George M. Brewer, he has also written articles on the Art Association, and on Samuel Morgan-Powell, art and drama critic at the Montreal Daily Star (1913-1953).
Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre, holder of a PhD in musicology from the Université de Montréal, was professor there from 1981 to 2010, Vice-Dean of graduate studies between 1993 and 1998 and Interim Dean in 1997–1998. Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal and specialist in the history of music-life in Quebec, Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre has published several books and articles on various composers, including Auguste Descarries, Serge Garant, Rodolphe Mathieu, Gilles Tremblay and Jean Vallerand, as well as Chronologie musicale du Québec (1535-2004) (Septentrion, 2009) written in collaboration with Jean-Pierre Pinson.
The book "George M. Brewer et le milieu culturel anglophone montréalais, 1900-1950" written by Lorne Huston and Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre, Éditions Septentrion 2020, can be browsed on the editor’s website:
https://www.septentrion.qc.ca/catalogue/george-m-brewer-et-le-milieu-culturel-anglophone-montrealais
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