CONTINUING LEGACIES
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Dear Friends,
Many of you will know by reading these Friday messages over the last few years that I'm a fan of virtually all music(s), but yes, I do have some tendencies! One of them is towards true progressive rock. Bands like the Canadian super trio RUSH made a huge impact on me (and countless millions around the globe) as a youngster. I remember meeting their bass player/singer Geddy Lee one day, running into him on a street corner late one night. It was my birthday, and I was carrying gifts and cards from a birthday party friends of mine threw for me earlier in the evening. I asked Geddy for his autograph. He said yes, of course. Then I realized I only had a pencil to write with and gift cards from other people! He signed one of my gift cards (which now proudly has two signatures in it - my friend Jim's and Geddy Lee's).
The long-time drummer and poet/lyricist with the band, Neil Peart, died of glioblastoma in 2020, aged 67. He was a hero to many, myself included. In the late 90s he lost both his daughter (who died in a car crash, aged 19) and his wife (who died of cancer) within a period of 10 months, and shortly after told his fellow bandmates that he was retiring. He then hopped onto his BMW motorcycle and drove over 88,000 kilometres across North and Central America in an effort to find peace. He wrote a beautiful book about that time called Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.
If you watched the Juno Awards this year, you would have seen something truly remarkable. RUSH has been re-born with a new drummer - 42 year old German Anika Nilles. She's amazing! When I heard their first public performance that evening I was touched by it - it was an incredible way not only to pay tribute to Neil Peart's legacy, but to carry the fire he lit forward into the future. A beautiful thing. Here's that performance:
Amazing stuff!
Here at SSM we have someone new on our team that will carry forward the legacy of SSM into the future - our new Executive Director Chris Lamont. Chris is himself a musician and has worked in musical circles for years, including stints with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Toronto Symphony and more. We're all very excited to have him on board! He officially joins us April 20th (next week!), and already the buzz is feeling right. Please join me in welcoming him to Stratford!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Mark and the SSM Team
Supporter Highlight
“Kerr is proud to support Stratford Summer Music and its mission to unite and enrich the Stratford community through accessible arts and culture!”
- Lauren Rudolph Heselton, Kerr Financial
Thank you to Kerr Financial for sponsoring the upcoming season!