Quick Facts
Biography
Albert Chamberland (12 October 1886 – 4 April 1975) was a Canadian violinist, composer, conductor, music producer, and music educator. As a violinist he was highly active as a chamber musician with a number of notable ensembles, including the Beethoven Trio with whom he made some early recordings for His Master's Voice during the first decade of the 20th century. For HMV he also made a few solo recordings and was active as a concert soloist as well. He was an orchestral performer with a variety of orchestras, notably serving as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra's first concertmaster. His compositional output was relatively small, consisting of an Allegro militaire for band, a Sérénade for violin and piano, an Étude de concert d'après Rode, and a Fantaisie on the tune "Un Canadien errant". He notably performed the latter work at the Monument national on 13 April 1926.
Life and career
Born in Montreal, Chamberland began his musical training in his native city with Jean A. Duquette before entering the conservatory at McGill University where he was a pupil of Alfred De Sève. His sister Luce was a concert pianist and was married to bass Ulysse Paquin. He began his career as a violin soloist in 1904 at the age of 18. He soon began playing in J.-J. Goulet's Montreal Symphony Orchestra (no relation to the current orchestra of that name). From 1907-1910 he was a member of the Beethoven Trio and from 1910-1920 he played in the Dubois String Quartet.
In 1920 Chamberland helped found the Montreal Philharmonic Orchestra. That same year he was appointed the first violinist of the Chamberland String Quartet whose members also included Norman Herschorn (2nd violin), Eugène Chartier (viola), and Raoul Duquette (cello). He played with that quartet through 1925. In 1932 he became a member of the Montreal Orchestra. He joined the newly formed Montreal Symphony Orchestra in 1934, serving as the orchestra's concertmaster (1934–1939) and then assistant conductor (1939–1948).
Chamberland worked as a music producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1937-1952. Some of the programs he was responsible for producing were CBC Radio's The Little Symphonies and Récital. He was also active as a music teacher throughout his career, teaching privately and on the music faculties of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, the Conservatoire national de musique, and the Villa Maria School. He was also active as music competition judge. Among his notable students are Alexander Brott, Isabelle Delorme, René Gagnier, Norman Herschorn, Lucien Martin, and Romain-Octave Pelletier II. He died in Montreal in 1975 at the age of 88.
