Canadians will soon be able to carry a piece of national music history in their wallets with the launch of a coin commemorating legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.
The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a one-dollar circulation coin Thursday honouring the late Montreal artist.
Mint president and CEO Marie Lemay says Peterson is both the first Black Canadian and the first musician to be featured on a circulation coin.
The mint is issuing three million coins depicting Peterson, known as B次元官网网址渢he man with four hands,B次元官网网址� playing the piano.
The coin will start circulating on Aug. 15 to coincide with PetersonB次元官网网址檚 birthday.
His widow, Kelly Peterson, says the illustration also includes the final notes of his 1962 composition B次元官网网址淗ymn to Freedom,B次元官网网址� which was embraced as an anthem of the civil rights movement.
B次元官网网址淚 hope (Canadians) will think about not only OscarB次元官网网址檚 contributions as a pianist and a composer, but also that theyB次元官网网址檒l think about what he stood for,B次元官网网址� Kelly Peterson told reporters.
B次元官网网址淭hat they will think about the example he set for civil rights and human rights, standing up for people who could not speak for themselves.B次元官网网址�
While his musical talents won him international recognition, Peterson never forgot he was Canadian, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said at the unveiling in Toronto.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 so glad that Oscar PetersonB次元官网网址檚 story will reach every corner of Canada three million times, told over and over and over again,B次元官网网址� Freeland told the crowd at Roy Thomson Hall.
B次元官网网址淗is story is important because he was an amazing, generous and brilliant musician. And itB次元官网网址檚 important because Oscar Peterson was successful as a Black man.B次元官网网址�
Pianist and composer Thompson Egbo-Egbo paid tribute to Peterson with a special performance.
Born in Montreal in 1925, Peterson is widely regarded as one of the foremost jazz pianists of his generation, winning numerous Juno and Grammy Awards over his 60-year career.
He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame before dying of kidney failure in 2007 at the age of 82.
B次元官网网址� Adina Bresge, The Canadian Press
