Ellen was the author’s great-aunt, who died when he was sixteen years old. She was arguably Canada’s best-known pianist internationally prior to Glenn Gould. Now a forgotten figure, she had a dazzling concert career, a glittering social life, and a sizzling private life. The research in writing her biography took Goldbloom into archives across England, Canada, the United States and Brazil, as well as into private letters and diaries that informed the resulting story. Television performances by Ellen in the United States and Canada, unseen in the 70 years since their initial live broadcasts, have been unearthed. Her LP recordings have been digitized. But her extraordinary story, part of Canada’s musical, social, and Jewish heritage, remains largely unknown.
In this biography of the pianist Ellen Ballon—one of the earliest Canadian classical musicians to forge a major international career—David Goldbloom draws on a wealth of original research as well as his own personal recollections and musical insights. Ballon was a formidable child prodigy who grew up to become a great and highly individual performer, but she was also a complex, fascinating character who led a colourful life. Thanks to Goldbloom, we now finally have ready access to her multifaceted story, engagingly told and in rich detail.
– Kevin Bazzana, author of Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould
