You reached this page through the archive. Click here to return to the archive.

Note: This article is over a year old and information contained in it may no longer be accurate. Please use the contact information in the lower-left corner to verify any information in this article.

Four Ole siblings give parents the gift of music

By Mara Kumagai Fink '11
May 6, 2010

Some years ago, says Paul Westermeyer, he put a note in his son's pocket that read "When we die, take some money from our estate and commission a piece in [your mother Sally's] honor." But when it came time to decide on a 70th birthday present for their parents, the four Westermeyer siblings decided that commissioning a piece to honor their parents would be a better idea when they were still around to hear it.

Front row (l-r): Rachel Wright '95, Timothy Mahr '78, Rebecca '98; (back, l-r) Chris '89, Sally, Paul, and Tim '90. Photo by Katherine Singer '04.

The four St. Olaf alumni asked St. Olaf Band Conductor Timothy Mahr '78 to write the piece that was premiered May 2 by the Minnesota Symphonic Winds (MSW), a Twin-cities based adult band. Chris '89, Tim '90, Rachel Wright '95, and Rebecca '98, have all played with the Minnesota Symphonic Winds at some point, and all of them were section leaders in the St. Olaf Band and St. Olaf Orchestra. Rachel says that performing with all of her siblings at once was one of the best aspects of the day.

"For me, this was an amazing opportunity to play in the band with my siblings," she says. "Being that all of us were not at St. Olaf together, nor have we all played together with the Minnesota Symphonic Winds, that was part of the joy of the day. It was a great reminder of the power of music and served as a wonderful culmination of all the years of practice and performance to which we have all been a part."

The performance was held at St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, where Tim is the executive pastor. Because of the wealth of family connections, both in MSW and the church, they felt that it was an appropriate group and venue to premiere the piece.

Mahr's piece, Homilies on 'Rise, O Church, like Christ Arisen', is based on a hymn that has numerous connections to the family since it was written to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the church that Paul and Sally attend, and the words and hymn were both written by family friends. It features two clarinets, trumpet, and bassoon — the instruments that each of the siblings plays.

"It was such a gift to have Mom and Dad only rows away, to make music with my siblings, and to share in celebration with so many friends and family the gift that Mom and Dad have offered to us and to their communities over the years," says Rebecca. "An experience like that is impossible to take in all at once. It's an experience that I'm grateful will live on both in the music and in the memory. I'm still digesting it, and probably will be for awhile."

Listen to the piece using the player, below, and read more about the Westermeyers in the Star Tribune.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.