In memoriam: János Sándor

János Sándor, conductor of the University of Victoria Symphony Orchestra for 15 years, died May 14. Under his baton, hundreds of students made music in ways that they never could have imagined possible. His beautiful way of teaching, through stories, demonstrating, sound effects, coaxing, humour and above all marvelous use of the baton (which he held with a beautiful delicacy), gave our students the courage and motivation to make music with their whole selves. Always positive and respectful, János took a keen interest in every student. Throughout his tenure at UVic he attended virtually every concert, performed by both faculty and students alike. At meetings he was thoughtful, speaking rarely, but always to the point. He was hugely funny and loved to tell stories (of which he had many). Trained as a timpanist as well as a conductor, he always had a soft spot for the percussion section of the orchestra, and the brass loved him because “he lets us play!”

ne of János’ great talents was his ability to build the tension in a phrase of music to the point that when the brass and percussion sections finally did have their moment, it was like being in the stands for the winning goal a World-Cup soccer match. The exhilaration was palpable!

János’ arrived in Canada in 2001 with a lifetime of brilliantly successful conducting behind him. He had traveled the world, making music with professional musicians from every walk of life in innumerable countries and cultures. But his heart was with the young people, the musicians of the future. He told us all at the reception held in his honour at the Grand Finale Concert on April 10th this year, that his 15 years at UVic were the happiest of his life. He is greatly missed.

Submitted by Ann Elliott-Goldschmid, School of Music