Stanley Solomon

Stanley Solomon passed away at Mount Sinai Hospital, in Toronto, in his 98th year after a long and wonderfully eventful life. Survived and cherished by his caring and loving wife Mia Solomon, his daughter Maribeth (Robert Schwartz), his son Lenny (Wendy Solomon) and grandchildren Leah Erbe, Eva Solomon Kadoski (Adam Kadoski) and Zoe Solomon. Predeceased by his parents, Nathan Solomon and Katie Solomon (Greben) and by his sister Helen and brothers Alan, Joseph and Bill Solomon. Also predeceased by spouses Eve Solomon and Lissa Solomon. Stanley enjoyed a fantastic career and life in music. A child prodigy, he studied with Luigi von Kunits and Elie Spivak at the Toronto Conservatory, now Royal Conservatory of Music. He attended the famed Curtis Institute on scholarship, training with Oscar Shumsky, Louis Bailly and Max Aronoff, as a violist. During RCAF service, 1942-44, he toured Europe and Canada as concertmaster with the RCAF Blackouts Revue. After a brief stint with the Baltimore Symphony, he returned to Toronto and joined the TSO in 1946. He was Principal Violist in the TSO from 1949-1983, then was Principal Emeritus until his retirement in 1988. He played with most of the greats of music during this time, and worked under maestros like Walter Susskind, Seiji Ozawa, and Andrew Davis. He was a member of the Parlow String Quartet and the Hart House Orchestra under Dr. Boyd Neel. He also managed these and other ensembles and artists under the aegis of his Stanley Solomon Concert Artists Management. He played with the CBC Orchestra, the first Stratford Festival Orchestra and the General Electric Orchestra, among many other wonderful ensembles during this time, forging lifelong friendships. He also was busy in the studio playing on commercial and recording sessions, some even for his son and daughter and her music partner Micky Erbe. He was very proud to do this, and brought bagels to many sessions, which were a trademark. He travelled extensively with the Symphony and other groups: to Moscow, China and European destinations, opening cultural conversations that continue to flourish. Also there was golf, keenly played everywhere he went! He was a mentor, teacher and champion of creative talent in every field. Stanley’s friendships with the maestros, musicians and soloists of the day resulted in a life that was a rich tapestry and a snapshot of the burgeoning artistic life of Toronto in the mid-20th Century.