Article

Marie Iösch-Lorcini

Published Online June 21, 2007

Last Edited December 16, 2013

Marie (Emma) Iösch-Lorcini (b Iösch, m Lorcini). Harpist, teacher, b Montreal 1 Jan 1930; premier prix harp (CMM) 1951. She is the daughter of the cellist Marthe Delcellier and the violinist Pierre Iösch, who were members of the Montreal Orchestra, the MSO, and the Little Symphony of Montreal.

Iösch-Lorcini, Marie

Marie (Emma) Iösch-Lorcini (b Iösch, m Lorcini). Harpist, teacher, b Montreal 1 Jan 1930; premier prix harp (CMM) 1951. She is the daughter of the cellist Marthe Delcellier and the violinist Pierre Iösch, who were members of the Montreal Orchestra, the MSO, and the Little Symphony of Montreal. She first studied piano 1940-3 at the École supérieure de musique d'Outremont (École Vincent-d'Indy) with Sister Rita de la Croix, then the harp, which she studied 1943-51 at the CMM under Marcel Grandjany. A regular harpist with the MSO 1946-69, she made her debut as soloist with that orchestra in Ravel's Introduction et Allegro (1954). In 1952 in Toronto she premiered Harry Somers'Suite for harp and chamber orchestra, a work she repeated in the 1953 NFB film Rehearsal and at the 1955 Stratford Festival. She took part in the premieres of Jean Papineau-Couture'sPièce concertante no. 3 in 1959 with the MSO and Michel Perrault'sJeux de quartes in 1961 on the CBC. In 1961 she appeared at the International Week of Today's Music which was presented as part of the Montreal Festivals. While continuing to perform in numerous CBC broadcasts, she taught harp 1960-9 at the École Vincent-d'Indy.

Moving to Ontario in 1969, Marie Iösch-Lorcini became principal harp in the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, of the London SO (Orchestra London Canada), and Sinfonia. She has given recitals throughout Ontario, has played in the orchestras of the Guelph and Stratford festivals, and has performed for NMC in Toronto. In 1978, with the flutist Paula Elliott, she premiered Jean Anderson's Six Country Sketches in Guelph. At a 1981 SMCQ concert, she performed with Bruce Mather his work Coulée de Serrant which she had commissioned. She also took part in the premiere of Nancy Telfer'sNoël with the Guelph Chamber Choir in 1987.

She began teaching at the University of Western Ontario in 1969, and at the Hamilton Suzuki School of Music in 1984 according to the Suzuki method.

See also Discographies for J. Beaudry, Montreal Bach Choir, MSO, and Geoffrey Waddington.