This month, it was our pleasure to speak with George Bradley, one of the board’s esteemed Directors. From piano lessons long ago to a present-day champion of the arts, Mr. Bradley has music on the mind.
1. What inspired you to join the FoCM board?
My desire to see the great FoCM tradition continue on through the generations.
2. What aspect of being on the board do you find most rewarding?
Working with our other Board Members to find effective ways to reach out to a new and young audience.
3. What are the most memorable FoCM concerts for you, and why?
That is a very difficult question to answer! There have been so many very memorable ones. I would have to say the first Borodin Quartet concert that we attended some 25+ years ago profoundly touched our souls.
4. What was your first exposure to chamber music?
As children, my wife and I both studied classical piano, and were therefore exposed to classical music right from the start. It was the Friends of Chamber Music and the Vancouver Recital Society that really hooked us, though.
5. What instrument do you play, or wish you could play?
I used to play the piano, and I wish I had kept it up. I also wish I could play the violin.
6. What have you learned from serving as a Director on the board that you’d like to share?
That there are many others, patrons and board members alike, that enjoy classical music as much as we do, and are as passionate as we are about sustaining and growing our classical (chamber) music audience here in Vancouver.
7. What do you want others to know or understand about Friends of Chamber Music?
That we feature many of the world’s greatest ensembles that are touring in North America every season. Also, to NOT be intimidated by attending one’s first chamber music performance! Chamber music is indeed a very intimate experience, and can be intimidating for some, but yet it is that intimacy that draws us in and gives us so much pleasure.
8. What is your guilty pleasure music?
This is also very difficult one for me to answer because my music tastes span way beyond just classical music, although classical music is closest to my heart these days.
Want to know more about our board of directors? Leave your questions in the comments and we’ll do our best to follow-up in future interviews!
