TORONTO (CelebrityAccess) — Eleanor Koldofsky, the noted Canadian author, festival director, and label executive has died. She was 102.
Her passing was announced in an obituary published by the Globe and Mail but a cause of death was not disclosed.
The youngest of 10 children, Koldofsky came from a musical family and was the sister of the noted violinist Adolph Koldofsky, and former wife of Toronto record store owner Sam Sniderman.
Koldofsky was an early pioneer of the label industry and became the first female Canadian record producer, starting with the classical label Boot Records, where she produced recordings by Canadian Brass and the guitarist Liona Boyd.
In 1975, she launched Proclaim Productions, which recorded and published music by Canadian artists such as pianist Anton Kuerti, violinist Victor Schultz, and cellist Gisela Depkat, among others on the company’s Aquitaine label.
In 1981, she became director of the Mostly Mozart festival as well as the director of Toronto’s The Pauline McGibbon Cultural Centre, a women’s center whose advisory council featured luminaries such as authors Margaret Atwood, actor Kate Reid, activist June Callwood, filmmaker and mixed media artist Joyce Wieland, among others.
Along with her work in music, Koldofsky was a published author, reviewing classical music for the Listening Post, and penning several books of poetry, such as 1998’s The Healing Heart; poems of loss and life, as well as numerous liner notes and record jackets for Aquitaine Records.
She was also an award-winning documentary filmmaker and produced and directed film such as A Fragile Trees – Has Roots and the 7th Floor, which chronicled the history and restoration of the Eaton Auditorium.
Koldofsky is survived by her spouse, Barbara Bondar and her sons, Robert and Jason Sniderman (Karen); four grandchildren; two daughters who adopted her, along with and other nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by nine siblings and her son Stephen, as well as her former husband, Sam Sniderman.
Donations in Eleanor’s memory may be made directly to the Heart and Stroke Foundation https://www.heartandstroke.ca/how-you-can-help/ways-to-give or North York General Hospital https://nyghfoundation.ca/ways-to-donate
