Phil Nimmons

He studied clarinet at the Juilliard School, and composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He was involved in the development of the jazz performance program at the University of Toronto, and became its director emeritus in 1991. He also helped establish music education programs at University of Western Ontario, University of New Brunswick and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. In 1974, Nimmons received the first Juno Award given in the Juno Awards jazz category, for his album Atlantic Suite. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993, and was recipient of the Order of Ontario. In 2002, he received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his lifetime contribution to music.

Phil Nimmons studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are jazz. Employment is recorded with University of Toronto. Distinctions recorded are Officer of the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario and Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

• Name — Phil Nimmons • Honorific Suffix — OC OONT • Born — 3 June 1923 • Birthplace — Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada • Died — 5 April 2024 • Place of death — Thornhill, Ontario, Canada • Genre — Jazz, classical • Occupation — * Musician • composer • arranger • educator • Instrument — Clarinet • Years Active — 1948–2024 • Label — * Verve Records • RCA records • CBC Records • Sackville Records • MCC Records • Marquis • CMC records • Website — https: www.philnimmons.ca/

Philip Rista Nimmons was born in Kamloops, British Columbia, on June 3, 1923. He was raised in Vancouver, and began a career in jazz and classical music in 1948. He played as a jazz clarinetist in Vancouver during the late 1940s, appearing on CBC Radio with dance bands. He graduated from the University of British Columbia, then studied clarinet at the Juilliard School in New York City, and composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Nimmons established the "Nimmons 'n' Nine" ensemble in 1953, with whom he had a weekly show on CBC Radio. The ensemble grew to 16 musicians in 1965, renamed "Nimmons 'n' Nine Plus Six", and was active until 1980. The ensemble recorded nine albums from 1956 to 1976, toured regularly across Canada. Nimmons performed with smaller bands after 1980, and released the album "Sands of Time" with a quartet in 2001. He chose to remain in Canada for his career despite that many of Canadian colleagues went to the United States. In a 2023 interview, he revealed that he stayed because, "If everybody left, we're not going to have anybody to create a musical scene in Canada". Nimmons was a founder of the Canadian League of Composers. As an educator, he made substantial contributions to the study of jazz music. Along with Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown in the 1960s, Nimmons founded the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto. The institution was one of the first such schools to offer formal jazz training, but it lasted only a few years. He was involved in the development of the jazz performance program at the University of Toronto, joining in 1973. He became director emeritus of the University of Toronto degree program in jazz studies there in 1991. He also helped establish music education programs at University of Western Ontario, University of New Brunswick and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. He spent summers teaching at youth music camps. In addition to free jazz, Nimmons played other genres including classical music. He composed more than 400 pieces in various genres, and for various instrumentations including film scores, music for radio and television, chamber music, music for large ensembles, concert band and symphony orchestras. His composition "The Torch" was commissioned for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, performed by a big band led by Rob McConnell. Other compositions by Nimmons include "Sleeping Beauty and the Lions" for concert band premiered at Expo 86, and "Moods and Contrasts" for the Esprit Orchestra in 1994.

Nimmons met his wife Noreen Liëse Spencer at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and had three children. His wife was a concert pianist, who died in 2002 after 52 years of marriage. His daughter Holly, is the chief executive officer of the Canadian Music Centre. His sister Arlene Nimmons Pach was a classical pianist. He turned 100 on June 3, 2023, and died at his home in Thornhill, Ontario, on April 5, 2024.