Help in finding identity of English Canadian concert pianist (dob 1910-1925?)

[kikinyc]

I realize this is an unusual question, but I am trying to find the identity my adopted boyfriend's paternal grandfather.  We don't have exact or identifying information, so we are willing to cull through resources and follow any leads.  The grandfather was English but lived in Canada and performed as a concert pianist at some point in his life.  He later moved to a northern central US state (Minnesota or some nearby state) and started a lumber mill or similar business.  The concert pianist career and starting the lumber mill all occured prior to 1964, we have no information past that time. We don't know the grandfather's date of birth, but based on his birth mother's DOB in 1948, we estimate it around 1910-25-ish. 

I am not expecting anyone to be familiar with the grandfather's identity, but perhaps someone more familiar with the "concert pianist" world could tell me what exactly this means, and what resources you would suggest I research.  Would someone who is referred to as a "concert pianist" in that time frame necessarily be someone whose name would appear as part of an orchestra or would they tour independently?  I guess I am trying to figure out how big or small a universe I am working with and what resources I could consult to find names listed (with a list of potential names, I can do additional research to match the names to information about his children).

Thanks for any suggestions.

[quantum]

One place you may wish to start is the Canadian Music Centre.  He may have been involved as a composer or performer of Canadian new music. 
https://www.musiccentre.ca

You may wish to search for records of concert programs, recordings, reviews, or articles he may have authored.  A good place for that is to check newspapers.  Both at the national and local level.  Many newspapers are now putting their archival info in an online database for facilitation in searches.  It is helpful if you know the cities where he was active in his career, and can thus consult local newspapers. 

You may wish to pay a visit to an archive in order to browse material.  The National Archives is in Ottawa.  There are also Provincial and City archives. 
https://www.archivescanada.ca/english/index.html
https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html

If he was involved as a faculty member at a university or conservatory, that may be a good place to look. 

Consider consulting an archivist or research librarian for leads on where to get started. 

[kikinyc]

Thank you so much for all the resources, I really appreciate your taking the time to put this together.