– January 21, 2008 in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

) was a Canadian

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...

 composer born in Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

.

Kenins's father was a lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

, poet and government official, and his mother was a journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

. He first began playing piano at the age of five, and his first compositions followed at age eight. Initially, he studied to be a diplomat

Diplomat

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...

 at the Lycee Champollion in Grenoble

Grenoble

Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...

, but moved to Riga

Riga

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

 between 1940 and 1944, studying composition and piano under Joseph Wihtol. He then studied at the Paris Conservatory under Tony Aubin

Tony Aubin

Tony Louis Alexandre Aubin was a French composer.From 1925 to 1930 Aubin studied at the Paris Conservatory under Samuel Rousseau , Noel Gallon , Philippe Gaubert , and Paul Dukas . He was awarded the Prix de Rome for the cantata Actaeon in 1930...

, Olivier Messiaen

Olivier Messiaen

Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...

 and others from 1945 to 1951, and won first prize there for his Cello Sonata. In 1951 his Septet was performed at the Darmstadt New Music Festival, conducted by Hermann Scherchen

Hermann Scherchen

Hermann Scherchen was a German conductor.-Life:Scherchen was originally a violist and played among the violas of the Bluthner Orchestra of Berlin while still in his teens...

; that same year he married Valda Dremaine, moved to Canada, and was named organist at the Latvian Lutheran St. Andrews Church in Toronto. In 1952 he began teaching at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

, where he taught for 32 years. Canadian musicologist Paul Rapoport

Paul Rapoport (music critic)

Paul Rapoport is a musicologist, music critic, and composer a professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario....

 has credited Kenins with introducing many European idioms to Canadian art music in an era when many of its composers remained solidly influenced by British models. Among his students were Tomas Dusatko, Edward Laufer, Walter Kemp, Bruce Mather

Bruce Mather

Bruce Mather is a Canadian composer, pianist, and writer who is particularly known for his contributions to contemporary classical music. One of the most notable composers of microtonal music, he was awarded the Jules Léger Prize twice, first in 1979 for his Musique pour Champigny and again in...

, Ben McPeek

Ben McPeek

Benjamin Dewey McPeek was a Canadian composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist. In 1964 he established his own company, Ben McPeek Ltd., which promoted himself as a "jingle" writer for radio and television...

, Arthur Ozolins, Imant Raminsh

Imant Raminsh

Imant Karlis Raminsh is a Canadian composer of Latvian descent, best known for his choral compositions. Born in Ventspils, Latvia, he came to Canada in 1948 and became a naturalized citizen in 1954...

, James Rolfe

James Rolfe

James Simon Rolfe is one of Canada's leading composers of contemporary music. He studied composition with John Beckwith at the University of Toronto and Jo Kondo in Japan...

, and Ronald Smith

Ronald Smith

Ronald Sam Smith was an English classical pianist, composer and teacher, born in London. He entered the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 16 with the Sir Michael Costa Scholarship for composition...

.

Works

Orchestral

• 8 Symphonies, including No.1 (1959), No.4 (1972), No.6 Sinfonia ad Fugam (1978), No.7 (1980), No.8 (1986)
• 12 Concertos, including Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1998), Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and Concerto for 14 Instruments
• Canzona Sonata for Solo Viola and String Orchestra (1986)
• Beatae Voces Tenebrae for symphony orchestra

Chamber music

• Sonata for cello and piano (1950)
• Sonata No.2 for violin and piano (1979)
• Sonata for viola and piano (1995)
• Adagio and Fugue for viola, cello and organ (1985)
• Elegy and Rondo for viola and piano (1979)
• Fantasy-Variations on an Eskimo Lullaby for flute and viola (1967–1972)
• Partita Breve for viola and piano (1971)
• 3 piano sonatas
• 2 piano quartets
• Septet (1951)
• Scherzo Concertante

Vocal

• 3 cantatas
• 1 oratorio