Samuel Lapitsky Foundation

Samuel Lapitsky Foundation

Samuel Lapitsky Foundation. Established in Montreal in March 1956 by Samuel Lapitsky, a retired businessman, to foster artistic creativity in Canada and provide assistance for cultural and educational endeavours. In the field of music several works for orchestra were commissioned from Canadian composers: Divertissement (Pierre Mercure, 1956), Images (Harry Freedman, 1957), Three Astral Visions (Alexander Brott), Cordes en mouvement (Jean Vallerand, 1959), Concertante No. 2 (Otto Joachim, 1961), Monade I (Clermont Pépin, 1963), Suite Lapitsky (Jean Papineau-Couture, 1965), and Profundum praedictum (Alexander Brott, 1965). These works were premiered by the McGill Chamber Orchestra, except for Images, which was first performed by the TSO, and Suite Lapitsky, which was first performed by the MSO. In the following years commissions were reduced, until the 1980s when the foundation and the Canada Council began to commission works jointly for the MSO, namely La Route des pèlerins reclus by Michel Longtin (1985), Trad-sens concertio by Michel-Georges Brégent (1987), Aux couleurs du ciel by François Morel (1988), and Concerto for viola by Robert Turner (with Rivka Golani, 1988). Murray Lapin has continued as the foundation's only president and administrator.