Eric Wilson

ERIC WILSON 1927 – 2025

January 17, 2025

Friends of Chamber Music are very sad to announce that our volunteer Board President, Eric Wilson, died on January 9, 2025, in his 98th year. Although Eric had been in declining health, we did not anticipate him leaving us so soon. He continued to play an active role in Friends of Chamber Music until the end of his life, including the critical work of planning our 2025/2026 concert season. Many of our Friends will remember seeing him at concerts until last February, when his health no longer permitted his attendance.

Originally from Doncaster, England, Eric came to Vancouver from Ontario in the late 1950s. After attending his first chamber music concert in Kirkland Lake, Ontario – and hearing the Mozart Clarinet Quintet performed with English clarinetist Gervase de Peyer – he was hooked on chamber music. He joined the Friends of Chamber Music volunteer Board of Directors in 1961 and has been involved with the Society ever since. He served continuously on the Board from then until now, taking on critical positions, including President, Treasurer, and Programme Committee Chair, donating an amazing amount of his time, expertise, and funds to the organisation. Eric was a leader, a mentor, an inspiration, and a beloved friend to many, including many internationally celebrated music artists. His figurative shoes were large and will be hard to fill. He is already missed.

Eric also had many other local community cultural connections, including his long-standing relationship with the Vancouver Academy of Music. He was a generous donor and supporter of many artistic and cultural organizations in Vancouver, going to numerous performances around town. He also enjoyed attending music and theatre performances during his regular visits to London, UK, as part of his regular trips to Europe.

As Programme Committee Chair for the Friends, Eric built warm relationships with world-renowned chamber music ensembles and their agents going back many decades. Over the years, with his guidance, we have all become friends and have welcomed these groups back to Vancouver. He also encouraged opportunities to include emerging groups in our season plans to promote the future of chamber music. These (then) emerging groups have included the Emerson Quartet (USA), Takács Quartet (Hungary), Mandelring Quartet (Germany), Szymanowski Quartet (Poland/Ukraine), Pavel Haas Quartet (Czechia), and many others.

Geoffrey Newman’s interview with Eric for Vancouver Classical Music in 2010 offers some fascinating insights into the history and development of chamber music in Vancouver and Eric’s thoughts on the future of chamber music:

https://www.vanclassicalmusic.com/an-interview-with-eric-wilson

Ways to honour and celebrate Eric Wilson’s contributions to Friends of Chamber Music and his legacy are underway. We will keep you apprised of our plans.

One way to honour Eric’s memory would be to join us to enjoy the concerts that he planned in our spring 2025 season. With Eric’s long and steadfast commitment to Friends of Chamber Music, we know it would please him greatly to know that chamber music in performance remains alive and well in Vancouver.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Friends of Chamber Music!