Oct. 16, 2005 still has impact
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Saturday, May 13, 2006 11:22 PM CDT
But band shows it’s ready to move forward
By Mark Baker
The Chippewa Herald
Composer Jim Bonney was honest.
The nationally-renowned artist stood before hundreds at the Chi-Hi gymnasium during Saturday’s tribute to Doug Greenhalgh, and said he didn’t have the slightest notion of how they felt.
Was the terrible accident of October 16, 2005 still an open wound, or had people healed and moved on, he wondered.
And then the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wind Symphony, joined by senior class musicians from Chi-Hi, played Bonney’s original composition, written specifically in memory of the five who died in the awful crash.
Bonney, it turns out, was wrong.
He may not have known if hearts and souls in this community had healed. But with the opening strains of his composition filling the Chi-Hi gym, it became clear that he knew exactly how we felt.
His composition, entitled “Threnody,” was erie, poignant, graceful and deeply moving.
I’m not a music critic, so I can’t tell you why his piece strikes such a deep chord. I didn’t bring a notebook or a pen to the tribute, because I didn’t expect to be writing a reflection on it.
But as a reporter, I’ve been to dozens of accident scenes. The sirens, the flashing lights, the overboding quiet, the swift and sure focus of police and rescue workers, and yes, even the cries of the wounded become a surrealistic mixture of chaos and calm, all at the same time.
Bonney’s piece evokes a similar feeling, starting and ending with the quiet of a single, steady note played on what appeared to be a glass partially filled with water. The note is the thread that holds the piece together, much as a lone siren does at an accident scene.
Yet as the piece grows in complexity and strength, it resonates with character, hope, and even love. Despite the helpless feeling of the lone note, something bigger, something positive, something worthwhile emerges.
Bonney’s composition struck a chord with the audience, providing a fitting and living memorial to Doug, Therese and Morgan Greenhalgh, Brian Atherton and Paul Rasmus. When the final note faded into silence, the audience and musicians alike sat in quiet reverence. A single clap grew into a chorus, and then a thunderous standing ovation.
As Bonney noted, the song will be played all over the world, in all kinds of venues. And at each, appearing under the song’s title, will be a mention of the five who did not survive the crash.
Joe Coughlin, Jr., a former Chi-Hi band member who is now band instructor at River Falls High School, coordinated the commissioning of the piece. He, too, spoke of the hundreds, indeed thousands, of lives touched in so many ways by Doug Greenhalgh and the others.
While Saturday’s tribute had many highlights, two others stand out. First, a junior member of the Chi-Hi band spoke about how grateful he was for the emergency responders who helped at the accident scene the night of Oct. 16, 2005. He asked emergency responders who helped in any way to stand and be recognized, and more than a dozen blue-shirted responders stood. So did the audience, with another heartfelt standing ovation.
Finally, and again, because I didn’t bring a pen to the tribute, I’m paraphrasing this part from my not-quite-so-sharp memory. Brian Collicott, Doug Greenhalgh’s co-director who was also seriously injured that night, told the crowd that it’s been a long and difficult road to recovery for himself personally and for members of the Chi-Hi band. But, he said, noting the beautiful music produced Saturday afternoon by the Chi-Hi concert band, orchestra and chorus, the music program is not going to move on.
No, he made clear, it is going to move forward.
Mark Baker is publisher of the Chippewa Herald. You can reach him at publisher@chippewa.com
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