Dr. H. Colin Slim

The musical works of Igor Stravinsky have inspired people the world over. Several encounters with the composer at the University of British Columbia would leave a permanent mark on one young music student. In 1952, H. Colin Slim participated in two Vancouver premiers of Stravinsky’s work: the Concerto for Two Pianos and Les Noces (Cantata in Four Scenes). Later that year, Stravinsky himself travelled to Vancouver to perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Slim had the opportunity to spend time with the renowned composer. The student and composer were to meet one more time; in Los Angeles in 1966, when Slim took part in two choral pieces directed by Stravinsky.

 

Following these encounters, Slim went on to receive his PhD from Harvard University, and then taught Music at the University of Chicago, the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and the University of California, Irvine, before retiring in 1994. Dr. Slim is a talented duo-pianist and orchestral conductor whose research focused heavily on Renaissance vocal and keyboard music.

 

Dr. Slim has continued to publish works on the great composer he met so long ago. Over the years, Dr. Slim began to develop a collection of materials related to Stravinsky, including autographed letters, musical scores, postcards, programs, private photographs, manuscripts, and musical quotations. In 1999, Dr. Slim generously donated his collection of Stravinskiana to the UBC Library and supported the creation of a meticulously researched annotated catalogue. The H. Colin Slim Stravinsky Collection has become an invaluable resource for anyone studying one the greatest and most influential composers of the 20th century.

 

For more information on the H. Colin Slim Stravinsky Collection, visit its website.