The flag will be at half-mast Saturday, April 10 until 10 a.m. for Faculty of Music Professor Emeritus Deral Johnson, who died March 24.
Johnson created a legacy of excellence at Western. When he began the choral program in 1969, he created the foundation for one of the highest-achieving programs in the country, both in performance and education.
Johnson, 83, retired from Western in 1991 with 22 years of service.
A funeral service will be held Saturday, April 10 at 10 a.m. at Federated Community Church (4251 Lake Mary Rd., Flagstaff, Ariz.).
“During his many years here, Deral established Western as a leading centre for excellence in choral music,” said Don Wright Faculty of Music Dean Robert Wood. “His influence on choral music in this country and internationally is vast and continues through the many students who had the good fortune to be able to work with Deral in one of the many choirs that he directed or in the choral courses that he taught at the faculty.”
Under Johnson’s leadership – and that of the faculty’s current conductors – Western’s choirs have been repeat winners in several competitions. Collectively, the choirs have received more than 20 national and international awards.
Alumni who studied with Johnson have spread his choral expertise across the country and around the world. His approach to the choral experience has changed music education, school choirs, and many lives.
A sense of group discipline, rehearsal habits and sight reading a large amount of repertoire in the first few rehearsals are some of the trademark Johnson concepts. Add moving voices around, fast-paced rehearsals and knowing the score inside out but being flexible to allow for creativity and you start to get a sense of the intensity.
He is survived by his wife Marie, also his accompanist for many years.
“He inspires them by requiring a lot of them and he gives them the means to accomplish what he expects of them. They gain a better appreciation of the whole field. The seed has been planted and it’s up to the students to carry it forward,” she says.
To honour his legacy of excellence, the faculty is launching the Deral Johnson Fund for Choral Music. This will support students and student activities in choral music. It may also fund new facilities.
“Held at Foundation Western, the Deral Johnson Fund for Choral Music is a legacy to his contributions and commitment to choral music, which spanned over 25 years at Western,” said John Nolan, development officer for the faculty. “The income generated by this legacy fund will support students focusing their studies on choral music – through scholarships and awards, subsidizing workshop and conference fees, and bringing master clinicians to the Faculty of Music – and will potentially support a facility named to honour Deral Johnson.”
For more information on how to contribute to Johnson’s legacy, contact John Nolan at jnolan@uwo.ca or at 519-661-2777 ext 85695.