SPECIAL PROJECTS
PETERSON POSTAGE
canada post
On August 15, 2005, Canada Post commemorates the life and achievements of internationally renowned Canadian jazz composer and musician Oscar Peterson with a single domestic rate (50¢) stamp. The date of issue marks Peterson's 80th birthday.
Canada Post commissioned Montréal photojournalist Gilbert Duclos, a well-known street photographer, to photograph Oscar Peterson. Renowned stamp designer Tiit Telmet of the Toronto firm Telmet Design Associates worked on the graphic design and composition.
AUSTRIA
In 2003, during what would be his final visit to Austria, a country very near and dear to him, Oscar Peterson was honoured with the unveiling of an Austrian postage stamp commemorating both his legacy and his long-standing relationship with Bösendorfer.
His final visit to the country was documented for a 2004 concert DVD titled 'A Night in Vienna'. The significance of his return was held partly in that his first live performance after a stroke nearly sidelined him permanently, was in Vienna. His return to Vienna for this concert holds special significance because it was in Vienna nine years earlier that Peterson gave his first public performance following a stroke that nearly sidelined him permanently. This concert in 2003 and its recording (which earned both Gold and Platinum certifications) was certainly a monumental moment for Peterson, especially at that stage in his career.