Jean Coulthard, OC, OBC, composer, teacher (born 10 February 1908 in Vancouver, BC; died 9 March 2000 in North Vancouver, BC). A pioneering woman composer and the first composer from Canada's West Coast to receive wide recognition, Jean Coulthard’s music is remarkable for its integrity, purity of expression and deeply emotional language. Often romantic and impressionistic, her more than 350 compositions span virtually every genre and range from the intentionally accessible to the uncompromisingly abstract. Perhaps best known for her Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1963) and Twelve Essays on a Cantabile Theme (1972), Coulthard taught at the University of British Columbia for 26 years and continued to compose for nearly 30 years after her retirement, completing her last piece a few months before her death at age 92.