Paul Armin

Armin, Paul

Paul (Erich) Armin. Violist, b Winkler, Man, 13 Aug 1944 (Richard's twin). He studied violin 1948-55 with his father, Jay Armin, and viola 1955-61 with Morris Hochberg at Wayne State University, David Dawson 1961-3 at Indiana University, and Lillian Fuchs 1964-5 in New York. After the demise of the Armin String Quartet he gave solo recitals in New York and at the Stratford Festival in 1964 and 1965. He played 1965-6 with the Sadler's Wells Opera and 1967-9 with the MSO. Following a brief period 1970-1 as electronic violist and violinist with Lighthouse, he began working in 1972 as a studio musician (sometimes in a trio with his siblings Richard and Adele Armin, for David Clayton-Thomas and Ringo Starr). He was heard during the mid-1970s as a soloist and chamber musician on CBC radio and TV, including performances of Brahms songs with Maureen Forrester, Poulenc's Aubade with Glenn Gould, and (on the 'Great Artists' series) works by Brahms, Hindemith, and Marjan Mozetich. He played 1974-6 with Camerata and 1973-80 with NMC. He premiered David Bedford's Spillihpnerak in 1974 and Mozetich's Disturbance in 1977. Initial experiments in amplified and electric string instruments were undertaken ca 1976 by Paul, his brother Richard, and acoustician-builder Otto Erdesz. An electric string ensemble was founded by Paul and his siblings at that time. The first viable results of these experiments can be heard on a recording by the Armin Electric Strings, consisting of Paul, Richard, and Adele (1979, Unison 7903). He worked ca 1981-6 with his siblings on the development and application of the RAAD electric string instruments, while performing the viola in freelance studio work and teaching the instrument privately. He played frequently with the Armin Electric Strings 1986-90, taught viola privately 1989-90, and played principal viola 1989-90 for the orchestra of the Toronto production of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Phantom of the Opera. He performed Hindemith's Der Schwanendreher with the RCMT Training Orchestra 30 Mar 1990. Later in 1990 he suffered a wrist injury in an automobile accident that ended his career as a violist. In 1991 he began studies in psychology at the University of Toronto.

See also Otto Armin (his brother).