Meechan Music Portrait - Meechan - Concert Band - Gr. 2

• Model # PMM153

Composer: Peter Meechan
Format: Printed conductor score with on-line access code for PDF parts.
Instrumentation: Concert Band
Genre: Canadian
Grade: 2

Portrait was commissioned by Ross Brownlee for the Westgate Senior Band (Winnipeg, Manitoba) in loving memory of Eleanor Brownlee, a lifelong lover of music, family and the delicate, beautiful web of nature.

Of his mother Ross writes:

"She was more special than I ever fully acknowledged. She had an internal power and strength that drove her to constant good work for her family, our worldly brothers and sisters in need, our Indigenous partners and especially for the environment whom she championed every day. Going to visit mom on Pender Island had become my equivalent to a complete "life reset". Her company on that paradise island was the greatest therapy one could ever ask. I can't begin to thank her for everything she did for me from the very day I was born. You were my biggest support, my greatest teacher and a dear and cherished friend. Thank you, dear mom."

As we began our journey on this piece together, Ross and I spent time talking about his mom, Eleanor Brownlee. As he began describing her, her passions, her loves, where she lived, and so much more, a portrait began appearing in my mind:

It was a portrait of Pender Island, British Columbia, where Eleanor spent so many happy years of her life;

It was a portrait of a person whose life was dedicated to service and who had a deep caring for the planet we live on, including the protection of the orcas whose habitat off the coast of Pender Island is under constant threat from commercial shipping routes;

It was a portrait of a beautiful habitat, of amazing sun-reflecting waters, of nature and of peace, of birds in the sky, and waters gently rippling;

It was a portrait of humanity.

Portrait is a piece based on the portrait painted in my mind by my friend, Ross, who shared many thoughts about his mother and whose grief was always framed with the gratitude he had for his mother, for the wonderful life she lived, and for the impactful legacy that she left this world a better place.

Portrait is dedicated "From Ross, for mom".

Peter Meechan 2024