Update on June 24th Celebration:

The events in Fairbanks on March 31st and April 1st were truly wonderful: a fine tribute and a remarkable, outstanding concert with the Fairbanks Symphony, directed by Eduard Zilberkant and featuring Paul Rosenthal, violinist. The orchestra played "Nimrod" from Elgar's Enigma Variations as a special tribute to Gordon, the Khachaturian Violin Concerto, and Sibelius’ 2nd Symphony.

Our Event in June 24th will be quite different, a good contrast and a fine addition to the other two excellent programs. It will be a concert of smaller selections of music, directly related to the experience of knowing Gordon, played by many of his dear friends and colleagues.

The Celebration will be in the Charles Davis Concert Hall at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, at 4 PM on Sunday June 24th.

We will present the premier of Gordon’s last piece of music, finished on Molakai in January of this year and dedicated to young Peter Asimov. Jim Kowalsky has agreed to play Charles Ives' "Unanswered Question,” bringing back fond memories of an early Arctic Chamber tour to Barrow. Linn Weeda, a former trumpet student of Jim and a conducting student of Gordon, will conduct the orchestral pieces and play some two trumpet Vivaldi with Jim Kowalski. Lynne Greenwood, saxophone, will play movements IV & V of "Tableaux de Provence for Saxophone and Orchestra", by Paule Maurice, which she performed under Gordon last year in the Florida Keys, with the Keys Chamber Orchestra.

The rest of the program will be solo or chamber pieces. We will have about an hour of music all together. John Luther Adams has written a set of “Three Miniatures for Solo Violin,” which are for and about Gordon. Paul Rosenthal is getting some chamber music together (and he will be coming directly from the Sitka Festival!!!) and will play a movement or two from Mozart's G-minor Viola Quintet, the last work Gordon played in public as a violist, as well as a movement or two from the Mozart Flute Quartet music.

Add a couple of SHORT speeches, and then we will be off to the Fairbanks Dog Musher's Hall for a potluck. All are encouraged to join in and "out of towners" can pick up some ready-made goodies. Guess it will end when the last bond fire dies down!

The next morning, family and close friends will be taking the train to Anchorage, in a reserved dome car. Contact Inga-Lisa Wright asap at ilw@sunlink.net to reserve a space.

On June 26th. Gordon's family will pick a spot near Indian, Alaska for his ashes. If finished in time, THE BENCH, made by Birch Pavelsky (a long-time friend of Gordon’s who built one of his cabins) will be placed at that spot. Family and close friends are welcome to join the family for this, but please be in touch with Inga-Lisa Wright ahead of time.

-- Inga-Lisa Wright

Past Celebrations:

The Fairbanks Symphony Association hosted a Celebration of Life Gathering for Gordon Wright 1934-2007 Saturday, March 31, 2007 4:00 P.M. Davis Concert Hall University of Alaska Fairbanks ----- pictures and full summary coming ------