Hyman Goodman

Goodman, Hyman

Hyman Goodman. Violinist, teacher, b Toronto 28 Jan 1913, d Encino, California, 27 Mar 1994. He began his violin studies in 1920 with Broadus Farmer in Toronto and continued 1926-9 with Vladimir Graffman in New York. Returning to Toronto in 1929, he played in the General Electric Hour Orchestra and in Alexander Chuhaldin's string orchestras on CFRB and CRBC radio, and studied with Chuhaldin. He began to play in the TSO in 1931. Goodman took further training in the late 1930s with William Primrose and in the early 1940s with Kathleen Parlow. A flight-sergeant bandsman 1942-6 in the RCAF, he played to service members throughout Canada and Europe and gave recitals on the BBC and Radio Hilversum (Holland). In 1946 he studied briefly with D.C. Dounis in New York. Returning to Toronto he rejoined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and soon was appointed concertmaster, serving 1948-67 in that capacity. He was concertmaster, and occasionally a soloist 1946-56, with the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra (Promenade Symphony Concerts) and performed often during those years on CBC radio and on the Music Makers television series, 1958-9. He was also a founding member of Marcus Adeney's string quartet in the 1950s. Among his notable performances in Canada was the 1956 premiere at the Stratford Festival of Glenn Gould's String Quartet. During the 1960s Goodman taught at the American Federation of Musicians String Congresses, and 1968-70 he was on staff at the University of California at Los Angeles. Following a brief return to Canada, Goodman settled permanently in Los Angeles in 1971, where he continued to play as a freelance performer for the major film, television, and recording studios. He performed with Percy Faith's orchestra, touring Japan several times and also Australia, and recorded for Faith as well. In the USA, Goodman also played regularly for the television show Little House on the Prairie, and backed such musicians as Neil Diamond. Goodman retired from active performance in 1988, due to arthritis. He died of heart failure, after suffering shock caused by an earthquake. His daughter Erica donated his archives to the NL of C.