I had the great pleasure of meeting Alphonse Gerwing 5 years ago, when he and Gregory Shulte (another great musical ambassador of Saskatchewan) invited me to play in a music series. The venue was this completely run-down church 1 hour outside of Saskatoon, in a town called Marysburg. I remember the ceiling of that church had a hole in it...you could see the sky from the inside. The concert series was to be a fund-raiser to help restore this beautiful church. Thanks to Al and many volunteers, this church is now one of the more beautiful structures in Saskatchewan. Greg’s Steinway sounds incredible in there. The audience would always come with so much appreciation.

Al was such a generous man. Fundraising was only part of his incredible passions. He set up musical exchange programs between Germany and Canada. I recently even found out that he helped launch Henry Loiselle’s singing career (http://www.henriloiselle.com). Al was also one of the first to recognize the talent of the famous Trapp Family Singers, and organized a concert tour in Canada for them in 1953!

In addition to his musical life, he was also a teacher. And I thought I was a busy guy! Furthermore, he had done so much for people living in Northeast Brazil, working tirelessly for their cause. The great majority (a mix of black, American native, and white people) are landless and are forced off the land because an owner mechanized or turned from sugar cane to raising cattle. They are in the main, illiterate and are excluded from the political, social and economic life of the numerically small middle class elite. Al insisted that it was not a question of charity, but of justice. It was no surprise to me to find out that in 1989 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, and as well the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2005.

What I remember about Al was his passion for music. He would call me in Toronto with so much enthusiasm about setting up the Marysburg recital season. Al was one person I never turned down, because I always knew that he would fill the church with so many incredible people who were eager to hear good music. Some of my favorite concert memories are from that church. He would always sit in the area where he could see my face. I remember seeing him in the corner of my eye when I played the Chopin Berceuse, just seeing the joy in his face.

Al would always write these full length letters to me and send me newspaper clippings from the concert. He also mentioned several times the struggles he had trying to raise money for his non-profit organization in Brazil. I remember one quote from one of his letters..."avoid burnout like the plague”. Haha, even now he still knows what to say to me!

Al’s legacy continues with his foundation...all non-government-organized. If you wish to learn more about Mr. Gerwing’s organization, or make a donation, please visit his website (http://www.socialjustice.ws).

If I may be blunt for a second, I would like to speak a bit about an important topic...and Al’s passing has made me much more aware of it. There are a lot of people in this music world (myself included at times) who are misguided. I mean, they only care about the betterment of themselves. Al was not one of them. He was one of the few gems that really loved music, and wished for everyone to be touched by it. I for one wish to be more like him, and I strongly encourage others to do the same. We will all miss you, dear Al. But we certainly won’t forget you.