We all know that death and taxes are inevitable, but when we hear of the sudden deaths of celebrities or of people we know, it seems all the more shocking. This morning when I checked my Facebook notifications, I was taken aback by the news of organist Jane Parker-Smith.

From her website, her bio reads:

Described as ‘the Martha Argerich of the organ’ (Paul Driver, The Sunday Times), Jane Parker-Smith is internationally recognised by the critics and public alike for her musicianship, virtuosity, entertaining programmes and electrifying performances. An innate interpretative ability, prodigious technique and flair for tonal colour are the hallmarks that make Jane Parker-Smith one of the most sought-after organists in the world.

A pupil of Nicolas Kynaston and Jean Langlais, she made her London debut at Westminster Cathedral at the age of 20, followed by a first solo concert appearance in the BBC Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall two years later.

She has performed at major venues and international festivals all over the world, as both recitalist and concerto soloist.  Career highlights include performances across the UK, Europe, North and South America and the Far East, combining solo recitals and concerts with leading orchestras.  Sir Simon Rattle, Serge Baudo, Carl Davis, Vernon Handley, Matthias Bamert and Richard Hickox have all worked with her.

Jane has recorded a wide range of solo repertoire for major labels and has broadcast regularly on radio and television, including featured appearances on the BBC and German and Swiss television.

I heard Jane Parker-Smith in person at an AGO convention quite a few years ago, and I would call her performance “electrifying.” Another thing that is shocking about her death is that I found out she was born in the same year I was!

Here’s what others are saying in the organ world today:

How terribly sad. Though I had never had the pleasure of hearing her perform live (I did, however, hear many of her great recordings), a friend of mine and I had dinner and drinks with Jane one evening. We had an absolutely fabulous time. She was a real character, extremely funny, had us enthralled with wonderful anecdotes while enjoying her cocktail and cigarette. She smoked a lot and, with drink in hand that evening, made it look swank and fashionable in a 1960’s British kind of way, straight out of one of those Pathé newsreels. I admired the fact that she was completely without pretense, no facade, completely herself. As an artist, she was such a brilliant, exciting organist whose performing style one never forgot. (Alexander Frey)

So sad to hear of the sudden death of Jane Parker-Smith. She was a fabulous organist and one of the most fun people to party with. Requiescat in pace. (Casey Cantwell)

There are no words – Jane was one of the nicest and wittiest human beings as well as one of the finest musicians in this world. She was a cherished friend and I have hundreds of great memories and stories from our times in Paris, Boston, London, London, Columbus AGO Regional (we played a duo-concert together at First Congregational with me on the gallery Beckerath and Jane on the chancel Kimball and we closed the program with a work by our beloved teacher, Jean Langlais), etc. – the last time we were together was on the international jury of the Erfurt-Weimar-Merseburg Reubke-Liszt competition a few yeas ago with many other very good friends from the jury. I can’t imagine life without her…RIP, dear friend. (James David Christie)

No sooner had I checked all my email, I picked up the latest copy of The American Organist, and was shocked to learn of the death of Lothar Bandermann, my former student.

Here’s the obituary as found in The American Organist:

Lothar W. Bandermann, 83 years old, in Cupertino, California, January 5, 2020. Born June 25, 1936, into a coal-mining family in Dormund, Germany, he lived through the difficult years of World War II. He discovered his interest in music early, and by age 14 was playing the organ for church, receiving one Deutsche Mark per mass. Although he loved music, he realized that he would have better career opportunities in the sciences. He emigrated to Canada, first settling in Montreal. After studying at MIT, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He received a PHD from the University of Maryland and spent ten years at the University of Hawaii, conducting astronomy research and teaching undergraduate physics. In 1978 he was hired by Lockheed in Palo Alto, California, where he designed orbiting telescopes. While in Honolulu, he met and married his wife, Bille “Bunchie” reeves, who was a graduate student in music at the University of Hawaii. For 50 years she was his loving companion in life and music. For 20 years Bandermann was organist at St. Joseph of Cupertino Catholic Church. Following his retirement in 1998, he devoted himself to composing. His works, numbering close to 1,000, are mainly for organ, piano, voice, and church choir.

Bandermann is survived by his wife, three children, and seven grandchildren. A memorial Mass held Jan. 17 at St. Joseph of Cupertino Catholic Church was attended by many friends and members of the San Jose AGO Chapter, of which he had been a member for many years. More detailed information about his life and works can be found at LotharBandermann.com.

How very sad! Many years ago, when Lothar was still living in Honolulu, he was the organist at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, just a couple of blocks away from the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. Of course, Lothar came to LCH for his lessons, and you may recall that he surprised me one day in 2012, when he revisited the church after an absence of 34 years! (Read my blog “Reconnecting after decades.”)

When my husband Carl and I lost our first baby in 1981, Lothar told me that he and his wife Bunchie also lost a child, and that Bunchie was inconsolable, as I was. Somehow I remembered this just now.

In the last few years, I was the recipient of many, many packages of music from Lothar. To be quite honest, his organ compositions were technically very challenging, and would take a lot of practice to pull off!

RIP, Lothar and Jane, may you enjoy playing the organs of heaven!