Rosario Bourdon

Rosario Bourdon

Rosario Bourdon, née Joseph Charles, conductor, cellist, record-company executive (b at Longueuil, Qué 6 Mar 1885; d at New York City, NY 24 Apr 1961). Bourdon toured Europe as a child prodigy and enjoyed early success as an orchestral cellist and recitalist in Canada and the US.

In 1909 he began a versatile career with the Victor Talking Machine Co. As cellist or piano accompanist he appeared on recordings with many famous artists. As Victor's music director until 1931 he conducted its house orchestras and John Philip Sousa's band, and in 1923 also became music director for NBC radio. After leaving Victor he worked with the Brunswick, Thesaurus, and Muzak companies. He was a pioneering conductor for cinema, being involved with many of the Mickey Mouse and Laurel and Hardy films. In 1944, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by the UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL. Among his numerous recordings, many with the greatest singers of the early 20th century, are some of his own compositions. These and personal papers were deposited at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, in 1976.