Francis Coleman
Encyclopedia
Francis Coleman was a conductor
and television producer
and director
.
Born in Montreal
, Canada
, Coleman began working in an office at the age of fourteen while studying music
at evening class
es. He continued his musical education at McGill University
, the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec
and then the Eastman School of Music
in Rochester, New York
, before conducting under Pierre Monteux
.
Coleman conducted a range of ensembles, including the Royal Canadian Air Force
band, and was appointed the first musical director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
. This led him to become the editor of Dance Magazine. He also conducted concerts broadcast on the radio for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
, and it was this which attracted him to work on CBFT
, the first television station in Canada, when it launched in September 1952. He initially worked on the bilingual news programme, and had produced more than 500 shows by 1958, including coverage of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
's coronation
.
Coleman was invited to work at Granada Television
in England
by Sidney Bernstein. He produced a variety of programmes, including Spot the Tune, Shadow Squad and Chelsea at Nine. He soon moved to London where he worked for ATV
, for whom he directed twenty-six schools programmes entitled Içi la France. This led on to other French language documentary work, for which he was created a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
. Also for ATV, he produced John Betjamin's Steam and Stained Glass; the UK's first hidden camera
show, Bob Boothby's Dinner Party; and the country's first consumer
programme, On The Braden Beat.
In 1964, Coleman was appointed Senior Producer, Music and Arts at the newly launched BBC 2. He produced a wide range of specials and series, including Shakespeare and Music, Solti
on Conducting and Peter Ustinov
on Peter Ustinov. He recorded II Trovatore in Rome
which was shown as live, an original idea at the time, and later applied the same treatment to Monteverdi's Vespers from Venice
.
Coleman moved to become Head of Religious, Children's and Education Programmes at London Weekend Television
in 1968, during which time he won the first Japan Prize
for education. Next, he went to Thames Television
, first as Head of Schools Programmes, then Head of Arts. He produced the Saint Nicholas Cantata by Benjamin Britten
, for which he won the UK's first Prix Italia
.
In his spare time, Coleman wrote the Bluffers Guides to ballet
and opera
, was a community activist in Highgate
and Muswell Hill
and was a Buddhist who appeared on BBC Radio 4
's Thought for the Day
.
After retiring from television, Coleman led a campaign to save the Phoenix Cinema
in East Finchley
, and following its success, ran it for a time. He then moved into lecturing, both at the London International Film School and at City University
.
Coleman's two daughters both became actors: Charlotte
(who died following an asthma attack in 2001) and Lisa.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
.
Born in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Coleman began working in an office at the age of fourteen while studying music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
at evening class
Evening Class
Evening Class is a novel by Maeve Binchy. It was adapted as the award-winning film Italian for Beginners by writer-director Lone Scherfig, who failed to formally acknowledge the source, although at the very end of the closing credits is the line 'with thanks to Maeve Binchy'.-Plot introduction:A...
es. He continued his musical education at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec
Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec
The Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec is a public network of nine state-subsidised schools offering higher education in music and theatre in Quebec, Canada. The organization was established in 1942 as a branch of the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec by the...
and then the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, before conducting under Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
.
Coleman conducted a range of ensembles, including the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
band, and was appointed the first musical director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America....
. This led him to become the editor of Dance Magazine. He also conducted concerts broadcast on the radio for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, and it was this which attracted him to work on CBFT
CBFT
CBFT is the flagship station of Télévision de Radio-Canada, the French language television network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Its studios and master control are located at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal....
, the first television station in Canada, when it launched in September 1952. He initially worked on the bilingual news programme, and had produced more than 500 shows by 1958, including coverage of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
.
Coleman was invited to work at Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by Sidney Bernstein. He produced a variety of programmes, including Spot the Tune, Shadow Squad and Chelsea at Nine. He soon moved to London where he worked for ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
, for whom he directed twenty-six schools programmes entitled Içi la France. This led on to other French language documentary work, for which he was created a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
. Also for ATV, he produced John Betjamin's Steam and Stained Glass; the UK's first hidden camera
Hidden camera
A hidden camera is a still or video camera used to film people without their knowledge. The camera is "hidden" because it is either not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another object...
show, Bob Boothby's Dinner Party; and the country's first consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
programme, On The Braden Beat.
In 1964, Coleman was appointed Senior Producer, Music and Arts at the newly launched BBC 2. He produced a wide range of specials and series, including Shakespeare and Music, Solti
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
on Conducting and Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
on Peter Ustinov. He recorded II Trovatore in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
which was shown as live, an original idea at the time, and later applied the same treatment to Monteverdi's Vespers from Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
.
Coleman moved to become Head of Religious, Children's and Education Programmes at London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
in 1968, during which time he won the first Japan Prize
Japan Prize
is awarded to people from all parts of the world whose "original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind."- Explanation :...
for education. Next, he went to Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
, first as Head of Schools Programmes, then Head of Arts. He produced the Saint Nicholas Cantata by Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, for which he won the UK's first Prix Italia
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...
.
In his spare time, Coleman wrote the Bluffers Guides to ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, was a community activist in Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
and Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
and was a Buddhist who appeared on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Thought for the Day
Thought for the Day
Thought for the Day is a daily scripted slot on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7.45 each Monday to Saturday morning...
.
After retiring from television, Coleman led a campaign to save the Phoenix Cinema
Phoenix Cinema
The Phoenix Cinema is an independent cinema in East Finchley, London, which was built in 1910 and opened in 1912 as the 'East Finchley Picturedrome'...
in East Finchley
East Finchley
East Finchley is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, in north London, and situated north-west of Charing Cross. Geographically it is somewhat separate from the rest of Finchley, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central to the west.- History :The land on which...
, and following its success, ran it for a time. He then moved into lecturing, both at the London International Film School and at City University
City University, London
City University London , is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and became a university in 1966, when it adopted its present name....
.
Coleman's two daughters both became actors: Charlotte
Charlotte Coleman
Charlotte Ninon Coleman was an English actress best known for playing Scarlett in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral , Jess in the television drama Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, and her childhood roles of Sue in Worzel Gummidge and the character Marmalade Atkins...
(who died following an asthma attack in 2001) and Lisa.