Joyce O. Maguire 1936-2008

For twenty-one years before she retired from her work with the British Columbia Choral Federation in December, 2004, Joyce Maguire served as the federation's Executive Director. Throughout her career, Joyce had been a compassionate initiator with a clear vision. Her natural gifts for drawing the best out of people have left a tremendous legacy in our community. She was a woman whose passion and optimistic world view had a profound impact on the institutions and individuals who have been touched by her hand. In the words of one of the directors of the BCCF, she truly was "a role model for all people who like to make things happen." The dedication, humour, and caring with which she made this impact have been revealed in the many letters and notes of tribute the BCCF office received from her friends and colleagues following her retirement.

One of the great joys of a long tenure is the satisfaction of looking back on the broad strokes of one's accomplishments. Looking at Joyce's working career as a professional or volunteer, we encounter a number of themes repeatedly, with music connecting the majority of them. Her early musical training and work in England as a pianist, teacher, and administrator set the stage for a lifelong commitment to music and to the betterment of people through music. That she should ultimately have invested so much of her time in choral music specifically appears to have evolved naturally in tandem with her talent as a pianist. Choral music is one of the finest points of entry into the human developmental experience, for it excludes no one and encompasses within its great tradition aspects of intellectual growth, artistry, discipline, social interaction, and healing. For a music teacher and humanist, it is an obvious and often inexpensive choice. The latter is an especially practical feature of our art form - a point not lost on Joyce Maguire!

If music had been the connecting thread of Joyce Maguire's professional life, then a focus on young people has been chief within it. More often than not in her career, Joyce had turned her attention to the organization of children's and youth choirs, and followed through in every detail. She nurtured the youngest ones with handwritten notes of instruction to them and their parents. These were a weekly reassurance that order prevailed and all was right with the world! She was the kind of person of whom you think, "If I do what she says, I'll be alright!" With the older children, she developed long-standing friendships. Although she commanded tremendous respect and set high standards for young people, on a directly personal level she knew how to encourage and support their strengths. Joyce let them know that she cared about their well-being and was willing to listen to their stories; she was so very interested in who they are and who they will become. At post-rehearsal sushi nights with Joyce, the 'regulars' would be joined by their more timid colleagues, who would gain a level of acceptance through Joyce. A catalyst in many situations, at the same time as she offered her skills and knowledge, she offered genuine friendship and acceptance.

Joyce had the innate ability to envisage a project and the people skills needed to bring it to fruition. She made people believe in themselves and in the idea that what looks impossible may be possible, perhaps with a few modifications, delays, or detours, but always keeping the goal in mind. To realize this goal, she expected people to put out their very best efforts. At the same time, she understood human nature well enough to know that people might sometimes get sidetracked, may be consumed by personal problems, a lack confidence, or simply may not want to do a job, and treated these situations with compassion and understanding.

Over the years, she must have wondered, as we all do, what the products of her visionary work have been. Of the many choirs and musical organization she nurtured, organized, launched, built, or otherwise initiated, what was the number of people who passed through their ranks? In the course of a lifetime dedicated to these pursuits, it is impossible to tell. But it is possible to acknowledge the tremendous gratitude we all feel for having had Joyce in our lives.

The BC Choral Federation enjoyed the benefits of Joyce's guiding hand from 1983 to 2004. Following her retirement, she continued her work with other choral organizations and continued seeing her many visitors until her untimely passing on June 30, 2008.

By Willi Zwozdesky, Executive Director, BCCF, with contributions from Anita Lindsay, Stephen Smith, and anonymous submissions from members of the Board of Directors. Reprinted with amendments from the BCCF Newsletter. This article may be reprinted in whole or in part, acknowledging the British Columbia Choral Federation and the authors as its source.