Dear Donald,
On the day of your concert I attached this iconic photo of you to the rosewood music stand in my studio. Perched atop an ethereal blue scarf of Mum's, a string of Tibetan prayer flags slung underneath, your image daily reminds me of your qualities of generosity, graciousness, passion and delicious sardonic wit...!
Before that I'd been taking your pic with me each week to my Stairwell Project gigs at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, sharing it with staff, volunteers and patients, all heartbroken to hear that their Donald - the guy who'd been playing harp in the main foyer twice a week since 2016 - had passed away.
I'm so grateful for the gift of time spent in your company across several decades Donald. And then more recently, rehearsing and performing with you, Eugenie and Tom in the band Fools Errand. I'm sad that I missed the last year of these musical gatherings. As you know, my Mum was unwell. But you kept your illness a close secret, not wanting to know about it yourself, and only divulging it to an inner circle in your final weeks. After the doctors told you you had follicular lymphoma, you leant over one rehearsal and whispered to Tom "They told me I have Funiculì, Funiculà Tommy, it's true!", managing to turn even your diagnosis into a show stopper of a tune...
This concert was a true show of the love you gave out over a lifetime coming right back at you Donald.
All my love,
Nettie xo
PS For Donald's memorial concert, Fools Errand consisted of Eugene Gilfedder (MC, lute), Eugenie Costello (violin), Nicole Tate (harp), Tom Adeney (guitar) and myself Lynette Lancini (piano, treble recorder, glockenspiel and Irish drum), with a full complement of guest musicians to round out the musical life and times of the inimitable treasure that was Donald Hall.
PSS Click here for a two minute preview of the concert.
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