Rosario Bourdon

conductor, arranger and composer. He was a child prodigy skilled with many musical instruments. Bourdon worked much of his life for the Victor Talking Machine Company

half-brother was a renowned impresario. Caroline Derome, his mother, began Bourdon's musical instruction with the cello when he was seven.^[1] She would later marry Jean-Baptiste Dubois, a professional cellist who would further instruct Bourdon in the instrument. Around this same time Bourdon learned to play the piano

Ghent Conservatory in Belgium.^[1] There he continued his training on the cello under Joseph Jacob. He did well, winning a "first prize with great distinction" in a school competition after spending only eight months there. He was touring Europe shortly thereafter. In 1899 he returned to Canada to tour, and was received well in Montreal and Quebec City

Sousa's Band.^[1] Thousands of Victor recordings for which Bourdon was the conductor or an instrumentalist are documented on the EDVR (Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings).^[3] In 1920, he was promoted to musical co-director at Victor, a position he shared with Josef Pasternack. In 1922, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.^[2]

Plateau Hall.^[2] He retained that position for many years. In 1944, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by the Université de Montréal.^[2]