Hello everyone! Sorry for the mass e-mail, but I want to get this ball
rolling. At Gerald's funeral service on Wednesday last, a number of us
began to talk about the possibility of a memorial concert. I had many
long LONG conversations with Gerald about his legacy and how he wanted
to be remembered, and even about his funeral wishes. Much of what he
told me he wanted didn't seem to materialise, and I feel a strong call
to try to make some of that happen.
As many of you know, I've undertaken to prepare and edit a book of new
organ music in Gerald's (honour, originally) memory - a la Sursum Corda
(that Gerald edited in Memory of Dr. Peaker).
There will be some costs involved in the preparation and production of
this book, and I wondered if part of the proceeds from a memorial
concert or service could go to that. The funds raised from the book
will benefit the 2000 Fund.
Gerald wanted to be remembered as a composer, but also, and very much
more, as a constant proponent for Canadian music, so I feel that at any
memorial, there should be a lot of music of our own people - Karam's
Modal Trumpet and Bill France's Oboe Tune, to name but two. I also know
that he LOVED Ruth Watson Henderson's Chromatic Toccata.
Anyway, I'd really appreciate feed back from you, and please feel free
to forward this on to anyone you think should see it (I don't have a lot
of addresses in our address book, as the computer has been on the fritz,
and we lost a lot).
Thank you all - Gerald, as you know, loved the College, and thought so
highly of his colleagues. I know that we all will miss him terribly. I
still cannot relaly believe that he's gone.
Have a grand summer!
Paul Chappel
#203-101 Governor's Road, Dundas ON L9H 6L7
905 628 1296