One of this country’s choral legends, conductor, mentor and master teacher, Deral Johnson, passed away recently, on March 24, in a hospice in Arkansas.
Deral, or “DJ,” as he was known by so many, was truly a legend, and a mentor to many of Canada’s finest conductors, including Bob Cooper, Ken Fleet, Brenda Zadorsky, Victoria Meredith (the list is a long one), as well as several noted composers (including Nancy Telfer) and performers (including Darryl Edwards, head of voice studies at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music). I feel so fortunate to have studied conducting and advanced choral conducting with DJ when I was an undergrad, back in the late 70s, in the Music Education programme at the University of Western Ontario.
I never, ever doubted his bountiful expertise, seemingly photographic memory, astounding breadth of knowledge, as well as his passion, sense of humour, energy and drive – and so many other attributes which made those conducting classes fly by.
I was sometimes rather timid in class, and frequently in a state of awe and sometimes abject terror, especially if I didn’t really, really know my music inside out. (We all knew that Deral would always find out if we hadn’t thoroughly prepared for class!)
I will never forget one fateful day: I was up in front of my classmates, ready to conduct my test piece, knees shaking, stomach quaking, wondering if I knew my repertoire well enough. Deral, sensing my nervousness, tried everything he could to coax me "out of my shell": dancing all around me, making faces, loudly singing along with my classmates (many of whom were trying very hard not to dissolve into fits of laughter), shuffling here, running there – all in a valiant attempt to disarm, relax, and inevitably force me to really focus on the task at hand. It was, by turns, a terrifying, unnerving, and hilarious (for my classmates) experience – and, amazingly, it worked!
DJ conducted almost every genre of music with panache and passion, including many contemporary Canadian works. This would be the very first time many of us would experience Murray Schafer’s music performed "in the round": Deral’s choristers would entirely encircle the audience in the Recital Hall at UWO, producing a remarkable and quite magical "surround sound" effect. Unforgettable. He had an uncanny gift of transferring his love of and deep respect for choral music to students, choristers, and audience members alike. Seats were always hard to find at one of his concerts.
In particular, I fondly remember the spirituals he conducted. After moving to Toronto, I sang with and accompanied for the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, when it was conducted by Brainerd Blyden Taylor, whose work with spirituals is also legendary. Brainerd and I often talked reverently about DJ. Performing these pieces as a student with Deral permanently changed the way I thought about, accompanied, coached, and finally conducted choral music.
It was such an honour to have taken part in the recent UWO Faculty of Music 40th Anniversary celebration (in early November, 2008), and to sing under Deral one last time. We performed Wie lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen (How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings), from Brahms’ German Requiem. I will forever treasure the moments I spent talking with DJ after our massed choir rehearsal. He seemed very tired and drained, yet was undeniably buoyed and energized by the experience of conducting the many choristers present that day (from young – very young! – undergrads, to those who’d studied at UWO 40 years ago).
I had heard from my peers that he was not well. He and his wife Marie told me that they had come very close to not making that flight from Arkansas to London, Ontario, for this celebration. My dad had cancer at that time as well, and was very ill, but insisted on coming to the concert that evening, especially to see Deral conduct again; Dad was determined to stay until the very end of the performance. He left Alumni Hall that evening exhausted, but exhilarated. (It was the last concert my Dad attended; he passed away a few months later, in January, 2009.) It meant so much to me, that evening, singing the Brahms with Deral Johnson amidst a huge, multi-generational choral ensemble – and having Dad, my husband and our son there to be a part of it all.
I came to professional choral conducting in a rather roundabout manner, via piano accompanying, coaching, teaching; choral accompanying; accompanying/performing with/composing for dance; assistant conducting – and finally, becoming artistic director and conductor of the East York Choir, in the Fall of 2004. What I learned from DJ over 30 years ago has been absolutely invaluable to me, in innumerable ways. I've had the great fortune to have worked with many fine conductors over the decades, but can say, without hesitation, that I consider Deral Johnson to be my primary choral mentor.
He was indeed a Canadian choral treasure. The legacy of his dedication to and deep love of choral music, and his passionate, uncompromising commitment to pass all of this on to others will live on for generations to come.
My family and I would again like to extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Marie, and family.
Jenny Crober,
Artistic Director, East York Choir, Toronto
