IFCM is deeply saddened about the passing of our dear friend and Honorary Member, Royce Saltzman, in Eugene, Oregon, USA, on April 3, 2023, in his 95th year.
Royce was a conductor, educator, co-founder and executive director of the Oregon Bach Festival, national president of ACDA (1979-1981), and founding member and president of the International Federation for Choral Music (1985-1993). He was a generous, creative and enthusiastic choral leader, a man of long-term vision and positive action whose diplomacy and wisdom, networks and exchange spaces have resulted in a very important legacy for the universal choral family and the future generations.
“Royce’s commitment to IFCM started in 1979 when he met a group of choral leaders determined to create an international organization that would facilitate cooperation and exchange between choirs, educational institutions, and national organizations. In 1981, at the national ACDA Convention in New Orleans, Royce initiated a choral summit, attended by leaders from thirteen countries. The group addressed issues such as touring, education, the sharing of information and materials, but foremost, the possibility of establishing an international organization that would facilitate cooperation and exchange. Royce then chaired an interim committee that met in Loughborough, England, to establish statutes, choose a name that would represent its global outreach, and determine Founding Organizations, which would provide support and validity to this fledging alliance. Thus, in 1982 the child IFCM was born.” *
This child is now 41 years old. Thank you, Royce! May your life and legacy inspire many choral leaders around the world.
Ms. Emily Kuo Vong and the IFCM Board members are sending their deepest condolences to Phyllis, daughters Kathy, Lisa, Jody and Marta and their children.
*Extract of the article published in the International Choral Bulletin in 2011, From Father to Daughter.... by Kathy Saltzman Romey, one of Royce’s daughters. An article celebrating the life of Royce will be published in the July issue of the International Choral Magazine.
Official magazine of the International Federation for Choral Music, the International Choral Magazine is published quarterly in the four official languages of IFCM: English, French, German and Spanish. It is distributed in more than 80 countries on the five continents and is the official voice of choral music around the world.
Read moreOur focus at the moment is to unite the choral calendars of international choral organisations. Meanwhile please consult the calendar of choral events published by the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat here.
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