Thomas Charles Fairbairn (usually credited as T. C. Fairbairn) (26 March 1874 – 1978)[1] was a British theatre impresario, particularly known for his productions of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha.[2]
Fairbairn first produced his dramatised, costumed version of Scenes from the Song of Hiawatha in 1924.[3] Held at the Royal Albert Hall, and featuring the Royal Choral Society, it raised funds for the Royal National Institute for the Blind.[3] The eight performances were so successful that he rebooked the hall and choir for the following year.[3] He repeated the show every year until 1939,[3] apart from 1926, the year of the General Strike.[4] All but the first show featured 1,000 performers, 200 of whom were dancers.[3] The production also toured other venues in the greater London area. [2]
In 1939, Fairbairn was living in Hampstead, London.[5]
Fairbairn appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 18 May 1974.[6]
Fairbairn died in Hammersmith, London in 1978.[7]
References
- ^ "Birthdays today and tomorrow". The Daily Telegraph. 26 March 1977. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Coleridge-Taylor Hiawatha". Gramophone. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Hiawatha at the Royal Albert Hall, 1924-1939". Museum of Music History. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ "June Story of the Month: the Royal Choral Society and the Royal Albert Hall". Life at the Hall. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ "1939 England and Wales Register". Ancestry. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Desert Island Discs - Castaway : T C Fairbairn". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ "Death registration". FreeBMD. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
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This page was last edited on 13 May 2024, at 18:54