Dr. Lee Hepner (November 24, 1920 – July 24, 1986) ARCT 1950, B MUS (Toronto) 1951, BA (Washington) 1957, MA (Columbia) 1961, honorary FRHCM 1970, PH D (New York) 1972 was a Canadian teacher and orchestral conductor. Hepner was born in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. After organizing the Edmonton Pops Orchestra in 1947, he was principal conductor of the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1949-1950). He was the founder and first Music Director of the

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Edmonton, Alberta. As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city it presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to co ...

(1952-1960), and subsequently was Music Director of the McMaster Operatic Society (1961-1967), the

Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Hamilton, Ontario. The orchestra gives concerts primarily at the FirstOntario Concert Hall. History The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1949. Its first co ...

(1962-1969), and the Hamilton Opera Company (1966-1972). He taught music at

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

, New York, and at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

from 1961 until his death in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. He founded the McMaster Symphony Orchestra in 1973. The orchestra left McMaster University in 1988 and in 2019 was rebranded as the Burlington Symphony Orchestra. Lee Hepner died of a heart attack while visiting family in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, BC, on July 24, 1986, at the age of 65. He is survived by his son,

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

, Darcy Hepner; and 3 grandchildren. His wife, pianist and music educator, Patricia Rolston, died in 2019. His son, guitarist and music educator, Dr. Jeremy Hepner died in 2013.

References

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External links

*The Burlington Symphony Orchestra Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hepner, Lee 1920 births 1986 deaths Male conductors (music) Musicians from Edmonton 20th-century Canadian conductors (music) 20th-century Canadian male musicians Canadian expatriates in the United States