Daisy Sweeney
Daisy Peterson Sweeney | |
|---|---|
 Oscar Peterson with his sister, Daisy, at the piano, 1944 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Daisy Elitha Peterson |
| Born | May 7, 1920 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | August 11, 2017 (aged 97) |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Music and Piano Teacher |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
Daisy Elitha Peterson Sweeney (May 7, 1920 – August 11, 2017) was a Canadian classical music and piano teacher, known for having taught many of the most notable figures in Canadian jazz music.
Sweeney was born Daisy Peterson in Montreal in 1920. Her students included Oliver Jones, Ken Skinner, Joe Sealy, Reg Wilson, and her brother, Oscar Peterson.[1] Sweeney would take her students to McGill University for preparatory exams and performances.[2]
Beyond teaching, she also co-founded the Montreal Black Community Youth Choir (now called the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir) with Trevor W. Payne in 1974.[3] She was also the mother of Canadian Olympic athlete and television journalist Sylvia Sweeney.[4] Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre tweeted in August 2017 that he intends for the city to name a street after her.[5]
In 2018, Sweeney was honoured with a community mural on a building in Montreal's Little Burgundy neighbourhood.[6] The artist, Kevin Ledo, also painted a mural of Leonard Cohen in the city's Plateau neighbourhood.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "Daisy Peterson Sweeney". Historica Canada. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
- ^ "Street to be named for Daisy Peterson Sweeney: Coderre". Montreal Gazette. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ^ "International Women's Day: Women who helped shape Montreal". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. March 8, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
- ^ Hemmerick, Kenneth. "Biographies". NCC Montreal. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
- ^ "'We won't forget you': Montreal street to be named after Daisy Sweeney". CBC News. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ a b "Daisy Sweeney mural 'captures her spirit,' says daughter at unveiling". CBC News Montreal, October 23, 2018.
External links[edit]
- Daisy Peterson Sweeney Official website
- 1920 births
- 2017 deaths
- 20th-century Canadian pianists
- Canadian women pianists
- Black Canadian musicians
- Canadian people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent
- Canadian people of British Virgin Islands descent
- Musicians from Montreal
- Canadian music educators
- Canadian women music educators
- Black Canadian women
- Anglophone Quebec people
- 20th-century Canadian women musicians
- 20th-century women pianists
- Oscar Peterson