Thomas Benjamin Banks (December 17, 1936 – January 25, 2018) was a Canadian pianist, conductor, composer, television personality, and senator. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of prime minister Jean Chrétien in 2000 and served as a member of the Liberal caucus until 2011.
Early life
Banks was born in Calgary, Alberta on December 17, 1936. He was born to Benjamin and Laura Banks. He had three brothers: Jim, Terry, and John, and one sister, Wendy. In 1949, the Banks family moved to Edmonton, Alberta.thumb|Tommy Banks with Warren Buffett and David Foster.
Banks provided musical direction for the ceremonies of the XI Commonwealth Games, EXPO ’86, the World University Games, the XV Olympic Winter Games, and for several radio and television shows. He produced and/or conducted command performances for Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family, and for President Ronald Reagan. He was a member of the A. F. of M., ACTRA, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (U.S.), the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Banks made his jazz-playing debut in 1950 in the touring band of saxophonist Don (D. T.) Thompson. At the age of 15, he performed at Varsity Hall.
Banks served as chair of the Music Committee of the Board of Governors of Alberta College and was the founding chairman of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Additionally, he chaired the Music Program at Grant MacEwan Community College and held positions on various boards, including the Edmonton Concert Hall Foundation, the Instrumental Jazz Division of MusicFest Canada, and the B&B Foundation for the Theatrical & Musical Arts of Alberta. Banks was also a member of the board of the CKUA Radio Network Foundation and held honorary positions with the Alberta Heart Fund, Cosmopolitan International, and Rotary International, where he was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. Additionally, he is the recipient of an Honorary Diploma of Music from Grant MacEwan College, an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Alberta, and of the Sir Frederick Haultain Prize.
Public service
Senator Banks was appointed to the Senate by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson at the recommendation of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in 2000. He represented Alberta, sitting as a Liberal. In the Senate, he served as a member of the Standing Committee on National Finance, of the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, of the Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (SCONSAD) and on its steering committee, and as chair of the Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs.
In the 37th, 38th, and 39th Parliaments, Tommy Banks was elected Chair of the Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment, and Natural Resources. Additionally, during the 37th and 38th Parliaments, he held the position of Chair of the Alberta Liberal Parliamentary Caucus.
Tommy Banks was appointed to the Senate of Canada on April 7, 2000. On May 9, 2001, he received the role of vice-chair for the Prime Minister's Caucus Task Force on Urban Issues.
Guest conducted
- Budapest Symphony Orchestra of the Hungarian State Radio & Television
- Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
- Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra
- Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
- Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra
- Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra
- Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra
- Memphis Symphony Orchestra
- National Arts Centre Orchestra
- Regina Symphony Orchestra
- Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra
- Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra
- Toledo Symphony Orchestra
- The Toronto Symphony
- Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
- Symphony Nova-Scotia
- Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra