Boyd McDonald and Garth Beckett, duo pianists, perform in Convocation Hall during the Learned Societies Conference, U of S, 22 May-8 June 1979.

Bio/Historical Note: Garth Beckett was born on 22 December 1933 in Eston, Saskatchewan. A pupil of Lyell Gustin of Saskatoon, Beckett made his orchestral debut in 1952, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. He studied in Europe, first with Geoffrey Tankard and James Ching in England (1954-1956), then with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in Italy (1957). He served as president of the Musical Art Club in Saskatoon from 1964-1966. Beckett concertized extensively from 1966-1979 as part of the Beckett-(Boyd) McDonald piano duo, founded in 1966 at the University of Saskatchewan. The duo's Canadian career included performances with major orchestras and frequent CBC broadcasts, as well as premiere performances of Bruce Mather's Sonata and Robert Turner's Concerto while Beckett and McDonald were on the faculty of the University of Manitoba (1967-1976). With the duo, Beckett performed in England (including five Wigmore Hall recitals in London between 1972-1976, and an appearance at the 1973 Cheltenham Festival) and major centres throughout Europe (Paris, Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden). In 1978 Beckett and McDonald gave their New York debut at Alice Tully Hall. From 1976-1996, Beckett was head of the piano department at Wilfrid Laurier University. The Beckett-McDonald duo performed less frequently in the 1980s and eventually ceased. The Garth Beckett/Gustin House Senior Piano Scholarship of $1,500 at the Saskatchewan Provincial Music Festival is awarded to pianists up to age 20 in the early levels of senior competition. Beckett Crescent and Green, located in the Arbor Creek neighborhood of Saskatoon, honours Beckett.