Avis de décès de John-Russell Baird

JOHN RUSSELL BAIRD - EAST MONTPELIER - John Russell Baird, musician and teacher, died on Dec. 30, 2013. He was 74. The son of Kenneth and Mary Baird, John was raised in Montpelier. As a boy, he especially enjoyed summers with his family at their camp in northern Vermont. John began studying voice at age 14. He sang, acted, and played tuba in the band at Montpelier High School, from which he graduated in 1956. In his yearbook, classmates extolled his witticisms (especially in English class). At Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., John earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1960 and a Master of Music degree in 1961. He performed many opera roles in the Northwestern University Opera Theatre directed by Robert Gay with conductor Thor Johnson. He participated in opera workshops with Boris Goldovsky and song literature workshops with Lotte Lehmann. John studied French vocal literature privately with Pierre Bernac and also had private voice training at Indiana University with Frederich Gersten. In 1964-65, he was a special student of recital, opera, and opera theatre at Northwestern and also Indiana University. During this time he also studied tuba with Arnold Jacobs. From 1966 to 1971, John's musical career flourished. At the University of WisconsinWhitewater and Stevens Point, he taught voice, opera workshop, and opera production. He was a recitalist and soloist with orchestras in the Midwest, including the Stevens Point Symphony, and he appeared with the Madison Civic Opera, the Milwaukee Skylight Opera Theatre, and the Central City Opera of Colorado. He was also featured in leading baritone roles at the Indiana University Opera Theater and the National Opera Company of Raleigh, N.C., where he appeared in more than 120 performances. In 1970, John married pianist Catherine Merena and moved with her to Burlington in 1974. During their 30 years together, they taught voice and piano privately, performed as a baritone and piano duo, and presented notable musicians primarily in the Burlington area through Vermont Recital Associates. In addition, John was a bass soloist with various civic organizations including the Vermont Philharmonic and Burlington Oratorio Society and was also an opera workshop director. He served as Vermont Governor of Singing Teachers and was a life member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. In 1994, the couple moved to Colchester expanding their musical offerings as they presented Music at South Bay Hall, an ongoing series of afternoon concerts in their home. Among the regular performers were pianists Barbara Holmquest, Olga Gross, and Edmund Battersby. Legendary cellist Elsa Hilger also performed, as did the Bairds and their students. The couple found teaching music and hosting concerts in the European style deeply satisfying. After Catherine died in 1999, John continued the concerts, dedicated to her memory, until 2003. In 2004, John returned to his childhood home in Montpelier, where he continued to teach voice and tuba. In his later years, John, a benevolent, gentle soul, enjoyed a quiet retirement with his Himalayan cat, Starra, and surrounded by countless mementoes of a rich musical and personal life. For nearly 20 years, John was a regular at Junior's in Burlington, where he leaves many longtime friends. Donations in his memory may be made to Capital City Concerts, PO Box 622, Montpelier, VT 05601; or the Central Vermont Humane Society, PO Box 687, Montpelier, VT 05601.