Bevan leaves behind a remarkable legacy of music
Gwilym Bevan of Kitchener Born: Nov. 8, 1925, in Wales Died: Feb. 23, 2024, age related illness
Reading through the tributes for organist and choral conductor, Gwilym Bevan, the common theme is how he influenced hundreds of young singers.
The man who suffered so much loss in his life, including a divorce, the death of two wives and three sons, still managed to become a music leader, inspiring youth in Kitchener and in the Maritimes.
Kate Pecora, a former choir member, noted that music had been a large part of her family's life in Prince Edward Island. At the centre of it all, was Bevan.
“I have fantastic memories of choir and Gwilym and I’m forever thankful for his guidance, the music he introduced me to, the opportunities he gave me, the friends I made and the joy it brought me and my family,” she noted.
Born Nov. 8, 1925, in Pontypool, Wales, Bevan was one of Ethel and Emlyn’s two children. Emlyn was a steel worker, Ethel a homemaker. Helen Bevan-Jones said her grandfather attended church every Sunday with his parents and sister, Gwyneth, and from this early influence “his love of music began.” He studied voice, violin and piano, and played organ professionally starting at age 16.
Bevan married his first wife, Beryl, and they had a son, John. The couple divorced when John was a baby.
Bevan-Jones explained her grandfather served in the Royal Armoured Corps in Germany during the Second World War, attaining the rank of warrant officer.
“At the same time, he continued his music studies in organ and attended Gotingen University,” she said.
Following the war, Bevan remained in Germany serving in the Army Educational Corps where his work was focused on the rehabilitation of cultural activities in Lüneburg.
With his second wife, Margaret, Bevan immigrated to Canada in 1956, after accepting the position of director of music at Trinity United Church in Kitchener. He was also the first music director at St. Paul’s College, University of Waterloo and choral editor at Waterloo Music Co.
Bevan had hoped this move to Canada would further his career. Unfortunately, it was also tainted by tragedy. Two years after arriving in Kitchener the couple had twin boys, Gerald and Michael. The babies died shortly after birth.
Bevan is remembered fondly by Jamie Hill.
“I was a little kid in the late 1950s and he went on a (choir) recruitment drive, phoning families,” said Hill. “He knew there were three kids in our household and would we like to join the choir?”
For Hill, that invitation led to a lifelong love of choral singing.
“He was quite businesslike, but he produced results,” said Hill. “Anyone who came after him, he’d lifted the bar quite high.”
Bevan-Jones said Margaret, a soprano, had been a tremendous support for her husband’s choirs, doing the planning and accompanying them on tours.
Throughout his life, education was important to Bevan. He held degrees and diplomas from McGill University in Montreal, Trinity College in London, England, and the Royal Canadian College of Organists, where he gained the Choirmasters Diploma in 1970.
He was made an honorary Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO) in 1987.
Bevan stayed in Kitchener for 11 years, then took his teaching and organ talents to Brockville, London, Ont., and Lennoxville, Quebec. On his leaving Kitchener, he told a reporter “church choirs are more important than ever,” stating it’s vital to continue with formal worship and at that core is music.
Moving to Prince Edward Island in 1978, he was named director of music at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.
During his time at the centre, Bevan conducted oratorio concerts and took boys’ and girls’ choirs on extensive tours in Canada, as well as to Britain, the U.S. and Bermuda. His teaching style was not one of coddling and he taught his choristers discipline as well as musical skills.
While on PEI, his girls’ choir was invited to sing for the Prince (now King Charles) and Princess of Wales when they visited Charlottetown in 1983.
After retiring from the centre in 1991, Bevan taught part time at the University of Prince Edward Island. The university bestowed an honorary doctorate in 1990.
Following Margaret’s death in 2001, Bevan returned to Kitchener. In August 2002, he married his third wife, Lois Couch. Like her husband, Lois was also a church organist and music director. She died of cancer in 2016.
Bevan died Feb. 23, 2024, at age 98, leaving a remarkable legacy of music and the hundreds of students who felt his influence remains unparalleled.
Andrea Ledwell noted, “Gwilym played a significant role in my music education and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to be in the choir under his direction.”