Three unidentified female musicians with their instruments sitting in a [drawing] room, draperies on the windows in the background and table with light in the foreground at right. Chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Two of the musicians are dressed in full length white satin dresses, the third in a dark coloured dress.

Boyd McDonald and Michael Bowie prepare for a recital by looking over the sheet music. Bowie is holding an Amati violin.

Note on back: "The Orford Quartet, a quartet-in-residence at the University of Toronto, performs in Convocation Hall during the Learned Societies Conference, U of S, 22 May-8 June, 1979. Members of the group are Andrew Dawes and Kenneth Perkins, violin; Terrence Helmer, viola; and Marcel St-Cyr, cello".

Bio/Historical Note: Learned Societies, a term applied in Canada to the large group of scholarly organizations that hold conferences annually from late May to mid-June at a different university location each year. Society members come not only to hear and discuss scholarly papers on the latest work in their fields, but also to renew contacts and share common concerns. The gathering of these associations in one place over one period is distinctively Canadian and owes more to practical evolution than to planning power. Selecting one site with suitable university accommodation was an answer to Canadian distance that allowed scholars more economical joint arrangements, let them attend meetings of societies besides their own, and encouraged them to visit varied geographical areas. The older Royal Society opened the way by moving from its Ottawa base to annual conferences at Montréal, Kingston or Toronto. Younger, more specialized associations - such as those in history, political science and economics - joined in, holding their own meetings along with, or just following, the senior scholarly society. By the 1930s the practice of holding an annual learned-conference period at a different site each year was well established, though such sites were usually in central Canada, where most larger universities were located. But in 1949 "the Learneds" went to Halifax, and soon afterwards to Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. In April 1996, the conference name was changed to the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Note on back: "The Prairie Winds, a Saskatoon woodwind quartet comprising James Mason, oboe; William Egnatoff, flute; Peter Gravlin, bassoon; Margaret Wilson, clarinet; and Toma Staples, French horn, perform in Convocation Hall during the Learned Societies Conference, U of S, 22 May-8 June, 1979".

Bio/Historical Note: Learned Societies, a term applied in Canada to the large group of scholarly organizations that hold conferences annually from late May to mid-June at a different university location each year. Society members come not only to hear and discuss scholarly papers on the latest work in their fields, but also to renew contacts and share common concerns. The gathering of these associations in one place over one period is distinctively Canadian and owes more to practical evolution than to planning power. Selecting one site with suitable university accommodation was an answer to Canadian distance that allowed scholars more economical joint arrangements, let them attend meetings of societies besides their own, and encouraged them to visit varied geographical areas. The older Royal Society opened the way by moving from its Ottawa base to annual conferences at Montréal, Kingston or Toronto. Younger, more specialized associations - such as those in history, political science and economics - joined in, holding their own meetings along with, or just following, the senior scholarly society. By the 1930s the practice of holding an annual learned-conference period at a different site each year was well established, though such sites were usually in central Canada, where most larger universities were located. But in 1949 "the Learneds" went to Halifax, and soon afterwards to Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. In April 1996, the conference name was changed to the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

This fonds contains files regarding curriculum and courses, equipment and resources, annual reports and other administrative duties. Also included is material relating to concerts, recitals, guest artists and lecturers, and workshops sponsored by the department. A separate accession contains correspondence, memoranda, and specifications pertaining to the department's move to the Education Building (1974-1976).

Boyd McDonald and Garth Beckett, duo pianists, perform in Convocation Hall during the Learned Societies Conference, U of S, 22 May-8 June 1979.

Bio/Historical Note: Garth Beckett was born on 22 December 1933 in Eston, Saskatchewan. A pupil of Lyell Gustin of Saskatoon, Beckett made his orchestral debut in 1952, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. He studied in Europe, first with Geoffrey Tankard and James Ching in England (1954-1956), then with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in Italy (1957). He served as president of the Musical Art Club in Saskatoon from 1964-1966. Beckett concertized extensively from 1966-1979 as part of the Beckett-(Boyd) McDonald piano duo, founded in 1966 at the University of Saskatchewan. The duo's Canadian career included performances with major orchestras and frequent CBC broadcasts, as well as premiere performances of Bruce Mather's Sonata and Robert Turner's Concerto while Beckett and McDonald were on the faculty of the University of Manitoba (1967-1976). With the duo, Beckett performed in England (including five Wigmore Hall recitals in London between 1972-1976, and an appearance at the 1973 Cheltenham Festival) and major centres throughout Europe (Paris, Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden). In 1978 Beckett and McDonald gave their New York debut at Alice Tully Hall. From 1976-1996, Beckett was head of the piano department at Wilfrid Laurier University. The Beckett-McDonald duo performed less frequently in the 1980s and eventually ceased. The Garth Beckett/Gustin House Senior Piano Scholarship of $1,500 at the Saskatchewan Provincial Music Festival is awarded to pianists up to age 20 in the early levels of senior competition. Beckett Crescent and Green, located in the Arbor Creek neighborhood of Saskatoon, honours Beckett.

Boyd David McDonald and Michael Bowie prepare for a recital by looking over the sheet music; Bowie is holding an Amati violin.