Memorable Manitobans: May Lawson (1901-1965)

Musician.

Born in Scotland, she moved to Winnipeg with her family in 1914 and studied singing there (with Rhys Thomas), in Toronto, and in New York. She was a soloist at St. Luke’s Anglican Church from 1923 to 1926 and then at Knox United Church for many years (1926-46). A contralto, she sang in oratorio and in light opera and was frequently heard on CBC Radio. She often sang Scottish traditional songs to great effect. After years as a private teacher, she spent her last years (1958-65) teaching at the Canadian Mennonite Bible College. She helped her brother James Terry Lawson produce the manual Full-throated Ease: A Concise Guide to Easy Singing (1955).

Sources:

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

We thank Keith Davies Jones for providing additional information used in this profile.

Page revised: 15 August 2010

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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