Dalton Baldwin
Rest In Peace Dalton Graf Baldwin, Jr!
(1931–2019)
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Below is an informal “audio transcript” of the recent memorial service for Dalton Baldwin which took place at the Island Heights United Methodist Church in Island Heights, New Jersey on January 19, 2020.
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PRELUDE:
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Our next performance is by, Song Hee Lee, soprano:
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Our next performance is a recording by, Gerard Souzay and Dalton Baldwin:
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Our next performance is by, Kyoko Saito, soprano:
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Our next performance is by, Enriques Neves, baritone:
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Some remarks from Reverend Blair Goold:
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Our next performance is by, Randall Scarlata, baritone:
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Some words of remembrance by members of Dalton Baldwin’s family:
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Some words of remembrance:
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Some words of remembrance:
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Our next performance is by, Cynthia Sanner, mezzo-soprano:
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Our next performance is by, Simon Chausee, baritone:
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Our next performance is by, Soo Yeon Kim, soprano:
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BENEDICTION:
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DEPARTING MUSIC
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PIANISTS: Akiko Hosaki, Matthew Odell, & Georgiana Rosca
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My Story…
The year was 1995. I had already won a major vocal competition in Europe and sung an opera role in Vienna. But, I was looking for more meaning to my musical life…
I met Dalton Baldwin in a masterclass while preparing a recital to be performed in Philadelphia. He immediately struck me as an extraordinary man, incredibly sensitive musically, and acute in his observations. He seemed to like my singing. He insisted, as I was leaving, that I send him a tape of the performance. I did send him the tape and, to my astonishment, a letter arrived in which he invited me to perform on an all-Fauré gala at the French Embassy in Washington, DC along with Canadian baritone, Bernard Levasseur. The adventure had begun and my artistic life was transforming!
Soon I was performing art song recitals (this strange new artistic endeavor…) everywhere. Of course, I performed again many times with Dalton Baldwin in New York, Tokyo, and Princeton (where he was a teacher at the Westminster Choir College). We made an all-Brahms recording together at his absolute insistence. (He said, “There are no Brahms song recordings out there, right now“ – was that true?!) He said that recordings are important: “They are our children.”
He introduced me to pianist, Georgiana Rosca with whom I performed innumerable “themed” recitals everywhere people would listen. Our collective thirst for this vast repertoire was insatiable. We even got to Carnegie Hall! And, of course, our beloved mentor was there in the audience sending out his loving support.
With no Dalton Baldwin in my life, I would have had a respectable career as a professional singer, acquiring credits for my resume, singing opera rolls here and there, and performing oratorio works, mostly in Philadelphia and New York. But, what did happened with Dalton Baldwin in my life is nothing short of extraordinary: It was like waking up one morning and watching a sunrise for the first time in my life. He ignited in me a passion for art song I never knew existed in me. I couldn’t get enough of it and have spent the bulk of my professional career defining myself through these recitals. Art song, and Dalton‘s passion for it, has worked its way into my very marrow such that I cannot conceive of my own identity without the blessed presence of this incredible art form in my life. Dalton Baldwin has made me the person that I am, and for that I am forever grateful. Thank you, Dalton. May the Kingdom of Heaven be yours!
May you be comforted in your grief and inspired by his marvelous life,
Bonnie Hoke-Scedrov
