John Arpin
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John Arpin (born 3 December 1936 in Port McNicoll, Ontario) is a Canadian composer, recording artist and entertainer.
He was educated at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), graduating at the age of sixteen, and the University of Toronto.
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[edit] Recording Career
Arpin has recorded more than sixty albums, mostly of ragtime, but also plays Broadway music, pop music, and classical music.
[edit] Performances
Arpin has performed as a solo entertainer and with orchestras throughout the world. In Canada, he has performed with artists like Maureen Forrester and Peter Appleyard.
[edit] Awards
Arpin has been 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.
[edit] Critical acclaim
The late 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."
[edit] Compositions
Notable among his own compositions are "Jogging Along" (a theme song for the acclaimed CBC radio program "Morningside"). He also composed the theme for TVOntario’s children’s shows, Polka Dot Door and Polka Dot Shorts and writes the music for the shows. Arpin also composed the themes for several CTV network shows in the 1960s. His "Lyric Suite for Piano, Strings and Percussion" won first prize out of 450 entrants in the Yamaha Second International Original Concert in Tokyo. he also arranged music for several Canadian recording acts.
[edit] Trivia
- John Arpin is a second cousin to Canadian author Mark Bourrie. [1]
