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Winifred MacBride

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Winifred MacBride
A black-and-white newspaper photograph of a young white woman, in 3/4 profile.
Winifred MacBride, from a 1926 newspaper.
Background information
Also known asWinifred MacBride Thomas
BornGlasgow
GenresClassical
OccupationPianist
InstrumentPiano
Years active1918-1959

Winifred MacBride (born before 1900 – died after 1975), later Winifred MacBride Thomas, was a Scottish-born concert pianist who achieved international acclaim in the first half of the twentieth century, particularly for her interpretations of the works of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. She also taught piano at Catawba College in North Carolina.

Early life

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Winifred MacBride was born in Glasgow, Scotland. She studied piano at the London Royal College of Music; she also studied with Benno Moiseiwitsch.[1] Her younger sister Florence MacBride played violin, and the sisters played a concert together in Glasgow in 1926.[2]

Career

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In concert

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MacBride gave a debut recital at London's Aeolian Hall in 1918.[3] In 1923 she was on the programme for the Proms.[4] Her 1924 concert at Queen's Hall, London, conducted by Sir Henry J. Wood, garnered critical raves for her technical virtuosity as well as the intelligence of her interpretive skills. MacBride was praised for her "intellectual serenity" and "radiance,"[5] the "elegance of her phrasing and touch,"[6] and her "unfailing technique."[6] Others commented on her "spacious and sympathetic style,"[7] "admirable fire,"[8] and "her clear insight into the meaning of the music."[6]

MacBride made her American debut in October 1924, at Aeolian Hall in New York.[9] Other New York appearances include multiple concerts at Town Hall in 1929 and 1930.[10][11][12] She played with the Minneapolis Symphony in 1926,[13][14] and recorded piano rolls for Ampico.[15]

In North Carolina

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In the 1940s, MacBride Thomas lived in North Carolina and taught piano privately, and as Assistant Professor of Piano at Catawba College,[16][17] where her husband was head of the music department.[18] The couple were dismissed from their faculty positions in 1952,[19] on the basis of "disloyalty to the administration of the college, manifested by slanderous statements to students, faculty members and others, and by the incitement of unrest, suspicion, and lack of confidence among students and faculty members."[20] The couple sued for wrongful dismissal,[21] and the AAUP defended the Thomases from the charges.[20] Their suit for damages went to the North Carolina Supreme Court, where it was dismissed in 1958.[22]

MacBride Thomas continued to appear as a guest artist periodically with symphony orchestras,[23] including the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.[24] She and her husband also gave combined "lecture recitals" at the Mint Museum in the 1950s.[25] She appeared as a soloist with the Charlotte Little Symphony on a television program, "The Carolina Hour", in 1956.[26]

Personal life

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In 1920, Winifred MacBride married English-born organist and composer Christopher J. Thomas;[27] they lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.[28] She was widowed when Thomas died in 1976.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Noted Pianist Plays Tonight". The Charlotte Observer. 3 December 1943. p. 21. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Music in Scotland". The Musical Times. 67 (1006): 1128. 1926. ISSN 0027-4666. JSTOR 912643.
  3. ^ "Humorous Concert Gives Unique Turn to London's Musical Week". Musical America. 29: 27. 7 December 1918.
  4. ^ "Prom 60". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Winifred MacBride at Queen's Hall, London". The Daily Telegraph. London (London). 1924.
  6. ^ a b c "Winifred MacBride's Recent Performances of The Beethoven "Emperor" and The Tschaikowsky B Flat Minor Concertos". The London Morning Post. 1924.
  7. ^ "Winfred MacBride at Queen's Hall". The Sunday Times. 1924.
  8. ^ "Miss Winnifred MacBride at Queen's Hall, London". The Times. 1924.
  9. ^ "Winifred MacBride, Famous British Pianist, American Debut". Musical Courier. 16 October 1924. p. 17.
  10. ^ "Winifred MacBride Heard; Pianist Warmly Greeted After an Absence of Several Years". The New York Times. 5 November 1929.
  11. ^ "Winifred MacBride Plays; Scottish Pianist Pleases at Her Second Recital in Town Hall". The New York Times. 1 January 1930.
  12. ^ "Winifred MacBride Plays; Scottish Pianist's Program Is Devoted Principally to Bach. ...". The New York Times. 1 October 1930.
  13. ^ "Symphony is Home from Winter Tour". Star Tribune. 21 February 1926. p. 64. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Symphony Returns Sunday in Time for 'Pop' Concert; Winifred Macbride to be Soloist Tomorrow". The Minneapolis Star. 20 February 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "AMPICO Grand Player 1924". MAMI - The Magic of Musical Machinery. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  16. ^ Catawba College (1947). Sayakini. Catawba College. Salisbury (N.C.): Catawba College. p. 15 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ Catawba College (1949). Sayakini. Catawba College. Salisbury (N.C.): Catawba College. p. 13.
  18. ^ "Christopher J. Thomas Wins Silver Cup as Composer" (PDF). The Diapason. 1 May 1944. p. 23. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Fired Teachers Will Appeal". Statesville Daily Record. 22 June 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b "AAUP Praises Teachers Discharged at Catawba". The Daily Times-News. 14 June 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "College Hearing is Postponed". Rocky Mount Telegram. 28 July 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Faculty Suit is Ruled Out by Top Court". The Charlotte Observer. 1 July 1958. p. 7. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Mrs. Winifred MacBride Thomas". Wilmington Morning Star. 17 February 1946. p. 3B. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  24. ^ "Symphony to Present Steber and Pennario". The Charlotte Observer. 26 April 1959. p. 20. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Bergamini, Edwin (7 November 1957). "Fine Arts Calendar for Coming Year". The Charlotte News. p. 19. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Mrs. Thomas is Featured as TV Soloist". The Charlotte News. 11 September 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Organist to Retire". The Charlotte News. 29 October 1965. p. 24. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Thomases Join Musical Life of City". The Charlotte Observer. 13 November 1955. p. 21. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Christopher Thomas, 82, Retired Organist, Dies". The Charlotte News. 15 July 1976. p. 4. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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