Born in Toronto, March 28, 1906, where he started his musical studies, Adaskin continued further work in New York and Paris. Violinist for ten years with Toronto Symphony, Adaskin also studied composition with John Weinzweig, Charles Jones and Darius Milhaud.
Adaskin was appointed Head of the Department of Music at the University of Saskatchewan from 1952 to 1966 when he became Composer-in-Residence until 1972 (the first composer to receive this post at a Canadian university). Dr. Adaskin helped make Saskatoon a major centre for the performance of contemporary Canadian music by conducting the Saskatoon Symphony for five years, commissioning new works, and organizing concerts of Canadian music. He was appointed to the Canada Council from 1966-1969, and retired to Victoria in 1973 where he continues to compose. He has had more than 40 works commissioned and completed over 100 compositions. In 1988, the University of Toronto Press published “The Musical World of Frances James and Murray Adaskin” written by Gordana Lazarevich.