28 Facts About Kathleen Parlow

Kathleen Parlow was a violinist known for her outstanding technique, which earned her the nickname "The lady of the golden bow".

Parlow's mother, Minnie, took her to live in San Francisco when Kathleen was four years old.

Minnie Kathleen Parlow bought her daughter a half-sized violin in San Francisco, and Kathleen Parlow began receiving lessons from a cousin of hers who was a professional violin teacher, Conrad Coward.

Kathleen Parlow's progress was very rapid with the instrument, and she soon began to receive lessons from a violin professor, Henry Holmes.

Minnie and Kathleen Parlow had arrived in London with $300 raised by their church in San Francisco, which was not sufficient to get them to St Petersburg, where Auer was a professor.

At 17, having spent a year at the conservatory, Kathleen Parlow began to put on public performances.

Kathleen Parlow gave solo performances in both St Petersburg and Helsinki.

Kathleen Parlow travelled Europe with her mother performing for five years.

Auer remained a strong influence on Kathleen Parlow, who referred to him as "Papa Auer".

In November 1910, Kathleen Parlow returned to North America for a tour.

Kathleen Parlow performed in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa and Kingston.

Kathleen Parlow's performances were lauded by provincial premiers, and both mother and daughter Parlow were pleased by her positive reception in western Canada.

Kathleen Parlow returned to England with her mother in 1911 for further concerts.

Kathleen Parlow performed in the Ostend Festival, preparing again with Auer.

Kathleen Parlow maintained a heavy touring schedule, crossing and recrossing the Atlantic to tour both Europe and North America.

Kathleen Parlow participated in a benefit concert for survivors of the Titanic, and made her first recording at the request of Thomas Edison.

Until 1912, Kathleen Parlow had performed primarily as a solo artist, but after meeting Ernesto Consolo, an Italian pianist, she began to perform chamber music.

Kathleen Parlow returned to North America for a tour in the spring of 1916.

Kathleen Parlow returned to England, but the increasing difficulty of travel kept her there until 1919.

Kathleen Parlow began her fifth tour of North American in December 1920, and she gave her first radio performance in Seattle in April 1922.

Kathleen Parlow made recordings for the Nipponophone Company while in Japan.

Kathleen Parlow continued touring, returning to Europe, but in 1926 she took a break.

Kathleen Parlow received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Mills College in 1933.

In 1936, Kathleen Parlow accepted a position at the Juilliard School of Music.

Kathleen Parlow remained there until World War II, when she returned to Canada and gave a series of lecture-recitals at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Kathleen Parlow wrote to Sir Ernest MacMillan about a permanent position with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and obtained one in 1941.

Kathleen Parlow became a regular performer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as well, bringing additional income.

Kathleen Parlow died on August 19,1963, and her will set up the Kathleen Parlow Scholarship for stringed instrument players at the University of Toronto, with the money from her estate and $40,000 from the sale of her violin.