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Dezsö Mahalek was born in Hungary in 1890. He studied cello in Hungary and was a child prodigy. His teachers included David Popper at the Royal Cons of Budapest, Julius Klengel in Leipzig (where Mahalek became a friend and associate of the celebrated cellist Emanuel Feuermann), and Joseph Malkin. Moving to Canada as a young man, he studied engineering briefly at McGill University, then resumed his musical career. In 1912 he moved to Winnipeg where he played in hotel and theatre orchestras and proved to be a fantastic teacher. Isaac Mamott, Lorne Munroe, Zara Nelsova, and others were among his pupils. He moved to Vancouver, where he established himself as an ensemble performer and teacher. A member 1936-61 (and principal in the 1940s) of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, he also played in CBC orchestras and in trios and quartets with Allard de Ridder, Adolph Koldofsky, and Arthur Benjamin. Mahalek died in Vancouver on the 23 March 1961. |
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