KLEMENT HAMBOURG

Violinist, conductor, and youngest scion of the famous Hambourg family, Klement was born in Ottawa. He received his musical education at both the Hambourg Conservatory of Music and the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, earning his ATCM Diploma in 1946. He studied with Harry Adaskin and Geza de Kresz in Toronto, Frederick Grinke in London and Orrea Pernel in Switzerland. He also participated in master classes with Simon Goldberg, Joseph Szigeti, Mischa Mischakoff, Pierre Boulez and Helmuth Rilling.

From 1950-1954 Dr. Hambourg was a member of the noted Pro-Musica String Trio of Toronto with violist Macey Cadesky and cellist Boris Hambourg. He also performed with the Toronto Renaissance Ensemble under the direction of Wolfgang Grunsky which gave many concerts and CBC broadcasts.

Although Dr. Hambourg has always been active as a performer, he chose to pursue a career in music education, first establishing a string program in the Oshawa, Ontario public schools in 1954, where his students won many honours at music festivals. In 1957 he initiated a similar program in the Peterborough Public Schools, building a youth orchestra and the Peterborough Chamber Orchestra. In 1961 he left for London, England to study with the noted European violinist, Frederick Grinke, where he also earned degrees from the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM) and Trinity College of Music (FTCL) Having been invited to take a position as violinist and orchestra conductor at Newton Park College in Bath. There he married his wife Leonie and their two daughters Tanya and Corinne were born. They remained in England for the next five years.

Dr. Hambourg returned to his former position in Peterborough in 1967 and became founding conductor of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra. He and his family then moved to Oregon, where he was appointed Asst. Professor of Music at Western Oregon State College. He also played as concertmaster of the Salem Symphony, was a violinist with the Portland Opera Orchestra, and assistant concertmaster of the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Helmuth Rilling. During this time he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oregon.

At WOSC Dr. Hambourg commenced a pilot program based on the Suzuki approach, which also served as a workshop for string education students and involved his two young daughters Tanya and Corinne. In 1982 he took up a faculty appointment as Associate Professor of Music at Lebanon Valley College of Pennsylvania, where be built the orchestra to full symphonic strength, served as editor of the Pennsylvania String Teachers Association newsletter, and established an annual Honours Orchestra for high school students and shared his expertise as a clinician and guest conductor of music festivals.

Following retirement, Dr. and Mrs. Hambourg moved to Victoria, B.C. where his daughter Corinne was a violinist with the Victoria Symphony. Here he established the Celebration of Chamber Music concert series with outstanding artists. His recitals have included music by Canadian contemporary composers such as John Weinzweig, Murray Adaskin, John Beckwith, and Harry Somers. He and his wife Leonie are now residents of Calgary, where they live close to their daughter Corinne Hambourg-Visscher, also a violinist, and their grandson, Gavin, a talented young guitarist..

Hambourg Duo Delightful and Amusing

3rd movement, Recitativo-Fantasia, from Sonata for violin and piano - Cesar Franck| Listen

Toronto Conservatory of Music Diploma Graduates, Oct. 28, 1946
Back row, 3rd from left: Glenn Gould; 8th from left: Klement Hambourg

Klement Hambourg (right) with his daughter Tanya (left)