Leo Smith

Smith was born in Birmingham. A child prodigy, he began studying cello at a very young age with W.H. Priestley in Birmingham and then later with Carl Fuchs in Manchester. His first professional cello recital was given at the Birmingham Town Hall in 1890 when he was just 8 years old as part of the Harrison Concert series. Since then he performed actively in concerts as both a soloist and a chamber musician. Eventually he pursued further training at the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester (UM) where he was a pupil of Henry Hiles. While at the UM, he became a member of the Hallé Orchestra and eventually played in the orchestra at the Royal Opera House for five years. He notably performed under the batons of Béla Bartók, Claude Debussy, Frederick Delius, Edward Elgar, and Richter among others.

In 1910 Smith emigrated to Canada, and was quickly hired by Frank Welsman to play for his Toronto Symphony Orchestra (no relation to the current orchestra of that name), becoming principal cellist in 1917 for that orchestra's final season. He met his wife, violinist Lena Hayes Smith (188?–1956), while playing in Welsman's orchestra. He later became a member of the new Toronto Symphony Orchestra when it was founded in 1922, serving as its principal cellist from 1932–1940. In 1938 he became principal cellist of the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra (TPO), a position he held until the mid-1940s. Smith was appointed to the faculty of the Toronto Conservatory of Music in 1911 where he was a professor of music composition, music history, music theory, and cello performance through 1941. While there he played with two notable chamber groups in residence at the school, the Conservatory Trio in his early years and later the Conservatory String Quartet from 1929–1941. He was also a member of two notable string quartets in Toronto, the Toronto String Quartette, with whom he played in 1914, and the Academy String Quartet, with whom he played during the 1920s. From 1927 until his retirement in 1950, Smith taught on the music faculty of the University of Toronto. Among his notable pupils were Marcus Adeney, Louis Applebaum, Gerald Bales, John Beckwith, Keith Bissell, Howard Brown, Glenn Gould, Kenneth Peacock, Margaret Sargent, and Bertha Tamblyn. Smith He died in Toronto, aged 70.

Leo Smith is recorded with the occupation music educator. Recorded with the occupation journalist. Recorded with the occupation composer. Recorded with the occupation cellist. Recorded as composer, music educator, music critic, cellist and journalist. Smith studied at University of Manchester and Royal Northern College of Music.