Friday, April 22, 2022
My sincere condolences to Bev and the entire Rowbotham family. Laurie will be truly missed.
I first met Mr. Laurie Rowbotham as he introduced himself on the first day of school as my Grade 9 high school English teacher at LDSS, Listowel.
Later, I got to know him as the Organist and Music Director at Trinity United Church, Listowel.
He was the very first person who believed in me as a solo singer. One Easter, he had taken on the huge ‘creative’ of having Trinity United Church senior choir perform Handel’s “The St. John Passion”. He asked me to stay after rehearsal one Thursday evening and began by saying I would be singing the only alto solo, ‘Take Courage, Soul’ (aptly titled). I responded by stating I didn’t think so…. as I was quite uncertain and stage shy at that time in my life. Well, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He assured me that I was quite capable and promised to coach me. To this day, I give him sole credit for all the hundreds of solos and performances that came after that one moment in my life.
I also got to know both Laurie and Bev as they were the leaders of our church youth group….then known as Hi-C (standing for High school Christians). What fun we had as they invited us into their home, took us to musicals in Toronto (Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar), led many thought-provoking discussions, and helped us learn and perform much-loved music from the aforementioned musicals.
I sang under Laurie’s directorship with the Blyth Festival Singers, returned to sing in his Trinity choir (1988), and also observed Laurie conducting many of the Schneider Male Chorus concerts.
Laurie also encouraged me to begin and direct a junior choir at Trinity, and when we couldn’t find an accompanist, he jumped in and found time for this as well.
At this time in my life, marrIed with two young children, I had been contemplating going back to school and had been applying to Teachers’ Colleges. Laurie was very instrumental in encouraging me to go back to university to become a teacher. He offered much-appreciated advice and wrote letters of reference on my behalf which resulted in college acceptance and a new personal career for me.
Laurie had a way of quietly encouraging and humbly supporting, while simultaneously building one’s confidence, allowing the student to find their voice, their talent, and the perseverance to push through and accomplish the task at hand.
He was no push over, demanding respect as a teacher, director and conductor in a manner in which you simply strove harder to create that better sound, that unified enunciation; that perfect final product. It was amazing to work under his tutelage, and I’ve often wondered about the hundreds of singers who have been influenced by the musical wisdom and choral strategies so freely shared and imparted by one of the best, Mr Laurie Rowbotham.
