Fraser MacPherson Scholarship – About

History

In the Summer of 1993, Pacific Music Industry Association (PMIA) initiated a music scholarship fund for young students of jazz in honour of BC’s great musician and cultural ambassador, Fraser MacPherson.

Born in St. Boniface, Manitoba, and raised in Victoria, BC, MacPherson had his Musicians Union card by the time he was 16. A first-call studio musician and lyrical improviser, Fraser’s swinging sound was routinely heard across the country on CBC radio and television. As the resident band leader at Vancouver’s Palomar and Cave nightclubs, MacPherson worked with many world renown musicians including Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald.

Fraser performed around the world and, perhaps most notably, toured the Soviet Union five times, the last in 1989. In 1982 he won a JUNO for Best Jazz Recording for his duet with guitarist Oliver Gannon, his long-time musical colleague, titled I Didn’t Know About You — an apropos title for a man all described as private and enigmatic. At age 60 he was named to the Order of Canada.

When he passed away in September of 1993, the Vancouver Musicians’ Association noted that in lieu of flowers, donations would be accepted to the Fraser MacPherson Music Scholarship Fund. The response was overwhelming.

Now under the umbrella of The Vancouver Jazz Orchestra Society, the scholarship program continues to support young musicians, not only financially but with mentorship and performance opportunities. A portion of all donations to the VJO Society are earmarked for the scholarship, ensuring this legacy continues for many years to come.