Jean Coulthard is a renowned Vancouver composer. She was the first female composer from Canada’s West Coast to gain widespread popularity, achieving both national and international recognition. Through her dedicated work, Coulthard not only fostered a love for Canadian music in Vancouver and beyond but also paved the way for future generations of women to pursue careers as composers. Read more at vancouveriski.com.
The Making of a Vancouver Composer
Jean Coulthard was born in Vancouver on February 10, 1908, into a musical family. Her mother was a singer and music teacher, which sparked Jean’s interest in music from a very young age. She continuously worked with her daughter, teaching her the principles of solfège, piano, and music literature. Coulthard wrote her first compositions at the age of eight. By 17, she was already giving piano lessons in the family studio, where her mother and sister, Babs, also taught.
In 1928, she enrolled at the Royal College of Music in London, studying under Kathleen Long, R.O. Morris, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Coulthard was able to fund her studies with a scholarship from the Vancouver Woman’s Musical Club—an organization dedicated to advancing the city’s cultural, social, and educational landscape by introducing new ideas for local music schools. Upon returning to her hometown, she began giving private lessons and teaching at girls’ schools.
In 1956, she travelled to France with a grant from the Royal Society of Canada. During her time in Paris, she wrote a violin concerto and an opera. When Coulthard completed the opera, *The Return*, it received its full premiere in a concert performance.
In 1958, Coulthard was commissioned by the Vancouver International Festival to write the song cycle *Spring Rhapsody*. The premiere of her Concerto for Violin and Orchestra followed in 1959, featuring soloist Thomas Rolston and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
A Distinctive Style
Guided by her many excellent teachers, Jean Coulthard absorbed a variety of influences to forge her own personal style. Her work can be broadly defined by two main directions: one lyrical, the other deep and contemplative. Hallmarks of her style include vibrant harmonies, clear rhythms, and cyclical structures. Coulthard’s body of work features sonatas for nearly every instrument, alongside hundreds of keyboard, choral, and vocal pieces. Her compositions span genres, including preludes, symphonies, concertos for violin and piano, operas, and operettas. Jean Coulthard completed her final sonata just a few months before her death.
Teaching Career
Beginning in 1947, Jean Coulthard was a member of the music faculty at the University of British Columbia for 26 years. While there, she developed her own curricula for music theory. Coulthard was particularly dedicated to creating high-quality music for her community and was deeply grateful to UBC for the opportunity to nurture and influence an entire generation of composers.
After retiring, she lectured and held workshops at the J.J. Johannessen International School of the Arts and the Banff School of Fine Arts. It would be hard to find a Canadian music student who hasn’t encountered her work. Coulthard also created an eight-volume piano teaching series titled *Music of Our Time*, which was later supplemented with smaller, separate guides for teachers and students. In 1984, she was named Composer of the Year by PROCAN (the Performing Rights Organization of Canada). Six years later, *Maclean’s* magazine added her to its Honour Roll.