Kathleen Parlow

Kathleen Parlow (September 20, 1890 – August 19, 1963) was a violinist known for her technique, which earned her the nickname "The lady of the golden bow". Although she left Canada at the age of four and did not permanently return until 1940, Parlow was sometimes billed as "The Canadian Violinist". Minnie Parlow bought her daughter a half-sized violin in San Francisco and Kathleen Parlow began receiving lessons from a cousin of hers who was a professional violin teacher, Conrad Coward. Her progress was rapid with the instrument and she soon began to receive lessons from a violin professor, Henry Holmes.

To become a professional violinist and begin a concert career, Parlow moved to Europe. Parlow and her mother arrived in London on January 1, 1905. Upon attending a concert by Mischa Elman, the Parlows decided to seek out Elman's teacher, Leopold Auer. Minnie and Kathleen Parlow had arrived in London with $300 raised by their church in San Francisco, which was not sufficient to get them to Saint Petersburg, where Auer was a professor. To pay the cost of travel, the Parlows obtained a loan from Lord Strathcona, the Canadian High Commissioner. She gave solo performances in Saint Petersburg and Helsinki. Parlow and her mother had little money and could not otherwise support themselves. Soon after, Kathleen Parlow made her professional debut in Berlin,

Parlow travelled Europe with her mother, performing for five years. Auer remained a strong influence on Parlow, who referred to him as "Papa Auer". Her mother and Auer arranged concerts and opportunities for her, including concerts with conductors such as Thomas Beecham and Bruno Walter.

In November 1910, Parlow returned to North America for a tour. Parlow performed in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa and Kingston. Her first performance with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra was on March 16, 1911. Returning to Western Canada, Parlow gave performances in Calgary, Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria. Her performances were lauded by provincial premiers.

Parlow returned to England with her mother in 1911 for further concerts. Her mother remained her travelling companion well into her adulthood. Parlow performed in the Ostend Festival, preparing again with Auer. Parlow maintained a heavy touring schedule across both Europe and North America. She participated in a benefit concert for survivors of the Titanic, and made her first recording at the request of Thomas Edison. She received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Mills College in 1933. While at Mills College she began to play in string quartets and in 1935 she formed the South Mountain Parlow Quartet.

In 1936, Parlow accepted a position at the Juilliard School of Music. She remained there until World War II, when she returned to Canada and gave a series of lecture-recitals at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She wrote to Ernest MacMillan about a permanent position with the Royal Conservatory of Music and obtained one in 1941. While there, she was a teacher for the singer Gisèle LaFleche, the violinist Ivan Romanoff and the conductor Victor Feldbrill.

She became a regular performer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. They received positive reviews and continued performing across Southern Ontario, as well as on radio, until 1944. The Canadian Trio earned up to $750 per performance. The quartet included Isaac Mamott on cello, Samuel Hersenhoren on second violin and John Dembeck on viola. Parlow did all the administrative work for the quartet. The quartet gave concerts in Canada, both live and on radio, but did not travel to any other countries. Their first performance was broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1943, and they remained together for 15 years. During this time, Parlow remained the head of the quartet, but the other performers were occasionally replaced.

As Parlow's career began to decline, her financial situation became progressively worse, and Godfrey Ridout and other friends of hers established a fund to support her.

Canadian filmmaker Sofia Bohdanowicz has made two films, Veslemøy's Song and Measures for a Funeral, about a musicology student named Audrey Benac (portrayed by Deragh Campbell) researching Parlow's life and career. The latter film features violinist María Dueñas playing Halvorsen's Violin Concerto, which was dedicated to Parlow.

Students of Parlow Victor Feldbrill Emanuel Leplin Joseph Pach Miriam Solovieff Clara Schranz