GORDON HAFSO
Piano
Dear family and friends,We are writing to let you know that our father, Gordon Hafso, passed away on Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 1:30 a.m., at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton.
A celebration of dad's life will be held on Friday, July 9, 2010, 10:00 a.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church in Edmonton (10815 76 Avenue). Internment will follow at Golden Valley Lutheran Cemetery in Viking, AB, at 3:00 p.m., with a reception to follow at Golden Valley Lutheran Church. An obituary will be published in the Tuesday, July 6, edition of the Edmonton Journal.
We are also planning a brief memorial service for Thursday afternoon, July 8, at Devonshire Village, dad's condominium community. Details about this, and memorial designations, will be forthcoming.
We look forward to gathering to celebrate dad's life, even as we grieve his passing. We are grateful for the love, prayers and care that surrounded dad, and continue to uphold his family.
Marc, Scott, Kyrsten and families
Gordon will be missed by so many in the musical community of Edmonton and area. His dry Norwegian humour, his fine musicianship and just being a great friend to all who had the privilege to know and/or perform with him. There was no popular song which Gordon could not play and often transposed during the gig to suit the vocalist....and speaking of vocalist, Gordon had an exceptional voice. Although born a twin to his brother Stan, Gordon was one of a kind whom all of us loved and admired.
-- George Lake.
|
[ALBERTA CHORAL FEDERATION 1999 Richard S Eaton Award of Distinction] Born in Viking, Alberta, Gordon Hafso attended Camrose Lutheran College (now Augustana University) and received a Bachelor of Music degree from St. Olaf College, Minnesota, where was Student Conductor of the renowned St. Olaf Choir in his senior year, and a Master of Music degree from University of Southern California at Los Angeles. In the late 1940's, he directed choirs for many special events in Edmonton, including the Hudson's Bay Chorus for Christmas radio broadcasts and a Provincial Government Chorus for Christmas at the Legislature in 1947. His Hafso Male Quartet also won the first ever Search for Talent contest. While living in the United States from 1953-76, he was Minister of Music at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in North Hollywood, California, and Music Director at the Laurel Hall School. Active as a composer, guest conductor and clinician, he is widely respected for his work on the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship and Music, which produced the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978). He returned to Canada in 1976 to be Director of Choral Activities at Concordia University College, Edmonton, where he remained until his retirement in 1993. Founder of the Concordia Community Chorus, he continued to work as a composer and arranger and was a popular clinician and guest conductor. A favorite professor, he was greatly respected for his attentiveness to his students, his love of teaching, his wise advice and his use of music as a catalyst for goo in the lives of participants and listeners. His influence as a teacher, musician and friend has been keenly felt throughout Alberta and across Canada and the United States.
|
|
|