William Thain’s first-person account of a life lived, in music, moving pictures, and major events, told over six-decades is keenly transcribed by Marjorie Devine, who sensed in the worn leather bindings, a rare opportunity to know a person, in their own words, and to know a place, the way that they knew it.

In this volume, Devine preserves Thain’s voice and provides local historians with a curated story of his life in Guelph, between 1898 and 1958. Devine is owed a debt of gratitude for her dedication in transcribing it.

Copies of the Violin Teacher will be available for purchase and signing. Register through Eventbrite to attend!

Light refreshments and cash bar.

William Thain as a young bagpipe player, circa 1893. 1973.23.9, Guelph Museums

A Culture Days Event

From September 23 to October 16, celebrate arts, culture and creativity at free events in Guelph and beyond

Where art meets heritage meets a passion for the natural environment, That’s So Guelph! Our creative community embodies values that define Guelph – curiosity, compassion, innovation, collaboration, diversity, environmentalism, and activism. Their work entertains and challenges, beautifies and reveals, charms and inspires, remembers and aspires – and will be on full display daily during Culture Days, all around Guelph, in heritage buildings and contemporary concert halls, in galleries and online, in parks, on trails, and by the river. Come discover what makes us uniquely “so Guelph.”

Visit That’s So Guelph! Culture Days Hub for local event listings.