Words of Welcome

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful!” (sung)
Good afternoon, everyone; my name is Henry Olders, and I have the amazing good fortune to have been married to Helen Rainville for 25 years. Twenty-five long years, as Helen would say!
I would like to tell you a little story.
When we were planning our wedding, in 1994, Helen and I crafted a beautiful seating plan for the wedding reception, and arranged for it to be delivered to the restaurant where the reception would be held.
Wedding day. Helen had to go pick up her flowers herself – the florist’s delivery guy was hung over and hadn’t shown up for work. On the way, she was pulled over by the police for a burnt out taillight. When Helen and her bridesmaids arrived at the church, it was raining cats and dogs!
After the ceremony, and then after the photo shoot, Helen and I arrive at the reception, and discover that our carefully planned seating arrangement never arrived! Helen burst into tears!
But, our guests were sitting where they chose, meeting new people, making new friends, and having a wonderful time!
And Helen and I had a gold mine of stories to tell about our wedding day. All because of mishaps and things not going as planned.
That is likely to happen today. Mishaps and things not going as planned. But we will have a wonderful time! And we are going to have stories to tell, about this once in a lifetime event.

Helen’s musician friends have gotten together today, to put on a concert for Helen’s friends.
Some of us have never met before today, including some of the performers who have had only minutes to rehearse before they play and sing together.
But all of them, all of us, are here to honour Helen and show our love for her, and I am just bowled over by the generosity and kindness of the performers who are sharing their talents, of the people who contributed to putting this event together, and to all of us in the audience who have braved the elements to be here! Let’s have a wonderful time, and let’s give ourselves a round of applause!
I am not a religious person, much to Helen’s chagrin, but I do believe that she lives on, in our hearts, where she has always been.
When someone we love dies, we take on some of their good qualities, and it makes us better people. We “internalize the lost object” as psychologists might say.
So let’s all of us go home this evening having become a little more like Helen. Because that is how she lives on; that is Helen at work, in our hearts. When I sang, “The weather outside is frightful” I was channeling her! So, let’s all channel her: (sung) “But, as long as you love me so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
Oh, and the rain at our wedding? When we processed out of the church, the sun was brilliantly shining!

Concert Programme

1. Messe à l’usage des couvents: Offertoire sur les grands jeux 6:23
François Couperin (1668-1733)
David Szanto, organ

2. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
English trad., harm. Charles W. Douglass
Ascension of Our Lord choir, dir. David Szanto

3. Image de Noël (L’Enfant Jésus des images)
Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Kristal Calvert, soprano; Claude Veilleux, piano

4. La fille aux cheveux de lin
Claude Débussy (1862-1918)
Claude Veilleux, piano

5. Wish you were here
David Gilmour (b. 1946) & Roger Waters (b. 1943) [Pink Floyd]
George Bowser, voice & 12-string guitar

6. Marian Suite: Ave Maria
Robin Grenon

7. L’Espagnola
Robin Grenon
Robin Grenon & Gisèle Guibord, harps

8. Mercedita
Argentinian trad.
Robin Grenon, Gisèle Guibord, Sylvia Neider, harps

9. The lark in the clear air
Irish trad.
Julie Lafontaine, voice; Gisèle Guibord, harp

10. Gamba Sonata no. 3 in G minor, BWV 1029, I. Vivace
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Elinor Frey, cello; Jonathan Oldengarm, organ

11. Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen (1934-2016)
Voices of Hope choir, dir. Manuel Blais

12. Concierto de Aranjuez: Tema del adagio
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Jill Rothberg, flute; Olga Gross, piano

13. Xerxes: Recit. Frondi Tenere; Aria: Ombra mai fù
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Linda Ibberson, soprano; Annabelle Renzo, harp

14. The storm is passing over
Charles A. Tindley (1851-1933); arr. Donald Vails
vocal trio: Nancy Hinkson, Vivienne Deane, Martine Musau

15. Psaume 75
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)

16. O Magnum Mysterium
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)
Orpheus Singers, dir. Peter Schubert

17. Here’s to Song
Allister MacGillivray (b. 1948); arr. Lydia Adams
Solos: Sharon Braverman, Farah Mohammed; Tracy Davidson;
Quartet: Farah Mohammed, Hisako Kobayashi, Clifton Jarin, Ayrton Zadra;
Jonathan Oldengarm, piano

18. Les misérables: Mon histoire (Éponine)
Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg
Stephanie Martin; Olga Gross, piano

19. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645
Johann Sebastian Bach
Jonathan Oldengarm, organ

20. O God, Beyond all Praising
Tune (Thaxted): Gustav Holst (1874-1934); words: Michael Perry
Massed choirs and audience; Jonathan Oldengarm, organ

Thank you message (posted by Henry on Slack, 2020-1-13)

Dear all, I’m still metabolizing everything from yesterday, so it’s taken me a while to post. What a super concert! I was truly bowled over by the professionalism, dedication, caring, and love of all the performers who gave so freely of their talents, who responded with such grace and generosity to the inevitable difficulties provided by the weather, the lack of time for rehearsal, and the gaps in my preparations and planning for this event. You sang or played with such tenderness and beauty! Your marvellous performances moved me, and the entire audience, to tears. Truly a testament to your love for Helen! Words fail me; in Helen’s name, I am profoundly grateful.
Krista (Dr. Lawlor, for those who did not hear your name clearly), you spoke from your heart, and revealed a vulnerability and openness that you and Helen shared, a reliable and available caring that Helen counted on and gave her the confidence to be not only optimistic but even joyful in her last days! Thank you, because Helen’s joy was my happiness!
Behind the scenes, there were family and friends who contributed enormously to the success of this gathering: Kristal, Claude, and Farah who supplied ideas, energy, and motivation; Francie Montgomery who made the venue happen, and who figured out how to overcome the inevitable obstacles and approach the many uncertainties, and who together with Valerie Aitken, another dear friend, organized the food for the reception; the staff of St. Matthias (Dawn and Jen) who facilitated both the big and the little things, Scott Bradford, the Music Director, and especially Brian Davies, who, to quote Francie, “knows the church like the back of his hand” who was always not only available but more than willing, even enthusiastic, to do whatever needed doing to ensure the concert was a success. My children and grandchildren at front of house, making sure the wine flowed freely, videotaping, and even moving furniture! And friends who pitched in, unasked, to help clean up afterwards. You know who you are!
Lots of Helen’s friends made it to the concert, thanks to the people who put up posters and announced the event at the places and in the communities where Helen had volunteered or made music or went to have fun!
All of you, performers, friends, family, made this more than a memorial tribute to Helen; you made it a celebration of life, of music, and of the community and the bonds between people that music helps to create and then to keep strong.
I heard from a number of people that they were pleasantly surprised to encounter others that they never imagined had a connection to Helen. I think that was Helen’s genius: she brought people together, whether through music, quilting, tapdancing, volunteering, or just being a good friend. And now she challenges us: can we continue to maintain and strengthen those “liens magiques” that she so loved? I certainly hope so! We have been given a gift, her legacy; it’s up to us to nurture that gift, to make it grow. We can and will do our bit to ensure that the love that Helen gave so freely will encompass more people, make our networks of family and friends stronger and our communities more inclusive and welcoming, and make our world just a little better. That, I believe, is how Helen will live on.
That last paragraph was somewhat fuelled by a nice glass of wine, so it may be a little over the top. But I’ll stick with it, because I loved, and love, Helen with all my heart, and I know that she loved me with every fibre of her being. So please join me in raising a glass and making a toast: Farewell and Godspeed, dear Helen! You are forever in our hearts!
Postscript: There are two other people who contributed greatly to making the concert so wonderful. They remained vigilant and watchful throughout, and acted with dispatch and sureness of movement when needed: Mark Corwin, our audio recording artist, and Michel Cantin who graciously accepted the burden of being Stage Manager. Thank you!