Bond and Ward to Perform at All Saints’ Chapel
Thursday, June 29, 2017
by Bailey Basham, Messenger Staff Writer
Peter Bond, trumpet professor for the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, will play with university organist and choirmaster Geoffrey Ward during the service in All Saint’s Chapel on Sunday, July 2.
Bond, who is entering his sixth SSMF summer, first began his summer stint in Sewanee as a substitute for a colleague at the festival.
“Peter and I met last summer in the dining hall at the salad bar, and I looked at him, and I said ‘I don’t know you, but I know you’re the trumpet professor, and it’s been a treat to hear you play,’” said Ward. “I told him that if it was ever an option, I’d love to have him play at All Saints’, and he lit up.”
And so the planning began.
“It’s always great to be here. It’s also nice to interact with musicians and people who live here—to not just come in and go away,” said Bond. “It’s like you’re contributing to the life of the community.”
It was this aspect of the Sewanee community that made agreeing to take part in a Sunday service so easy.
Both Bond and Ward said it is what they hope will be the beginning of a valuable partnership between the SSMF and the chapel.
“It’s my goal to have more musicians and students of the festival playing and sharing their gifts at All Saints’ going forward. I think this is a great way to get that process started and in the future,” said Ward. “I hope we are able to get [the student] musicians involved in the musical life of the chapel, as it is the center of the university and the primary academic room we use on campus.”
Preparation for the duo began when Bond arrived on the mountain. The two have prepared pieces by George Frideric Handel and Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni, pieces that, according to Ward, will feature Bond on trumpet and Ward on the organ. Ward, who studied trumpet at university, said the organ and the trumpet are a beautiful pairing.
For Bond, the point of students coming to the mountain for the festival is to learn all they can, and having access to professional musicians like Ward on campus is a benefit.
“Later on, perhaps I can bring my students over, and they can learn how to play a wedding or how to play a worship service. Trumpet players do a lot of this kind of work, and this is an opportunity for students to learn even more,” said Bond.
Ward said Bond’s presence in the Sewanee community as an instructor for the festival is a “gift that keeps on giving.”
“Any time you get to interact with anyone who is at the top of their profession is an opportunity to learn, be educated and be inspired. He’s really immersing himself in the festival and the community, and it’s to our benefit,” said Ward. “It’s wonderful to have Peter here to help inspire us in our worship experience. It reminds us that this is one of the great centers of teaching and learning in the country.”
Bond and Ward will play together during the 11 a.m., Sunday service on July 2 in All Saints’ Chapel.