A few words from one of our co-founders

By Pat Gaffney, Bass, Co-founder and member of Magnolia Chorale since 1989

Sunday, May 5 was my last performance after 35 years singing with the Magnolia Chorale. My role in the founding of the Chorale has been adequately documented.
 
Choral participation has been a significant part of my life for 75 years beginning with the chapel choir of Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island in 1948. I have rarely—thankfully—been in a position where I couldn’t sing. I sang in Episcopal church choirs while in university; military chapel choirs in Korea, Germany, and Vietnam; and Episcopal church choirs in Washington, Texas, and Oklahoma. Since my retirement from the army in 1980, in addition to Ascension’s choir and the Magnolia Chorale, I have sung with Camerata under Delores Fox (now defunct) and the Seattle Symphony Chorale. I hope to sing in Ascension’s choir as long as I can be an asset, however, I no longer have the vocal stamina to sing in both Ascension’s choir and with the Magnolia Chorale.  

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Magnolia Chorale co-founder Pat Gaffney recounts fond memories of Chorale history at 35th anniversary gala.

As I look back over the many musical highlights of the past 35 years, a few stand out as particularly meaningful: the 1991 Pacific Northwest premier performance of the recently published John Rutter Magnificat; the Rutter Requiem with chamber ensemble at Ascension in 2004; Chorale participation in Magnolia Days festivities; caroling in Magnolia village; the Vivaldi Gloria in 2014; and, most recently, the beautiful and moving performance of Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus which had never before been performed by the Chorale. 

​Thank you Joseph and the Chorale for giving me the opportunity to close out this long and cherished part of my life performing music of the past with which I have had the great privilege to be a part of, and to be able to look forward to building the future as a member of your audience.

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A Note from the Magnolia Chorale Board:
​The Board acknowledges the enormous contribution Pat has made to the Magnolia Chorale and music in Magnolia over several decades. We will greatly miss singing with him and enjoying his company.
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Thank you Pat, for everything!
Magnolia Chorale Board