Prof. Rodney Orland McLeod
1930-2021
Rodney Orland
McLeod, 90, passed away at the Drew Nursing Home,
Sackville, NB, on Sunday, February 7, 2021.
Rodney Mcleod, had a long and
distinguished career as a Musician.
Starting first as a young violinist
while a student at Point Grey Secondary School, and a student of Jean
de Rimanoczy, Rodney joined the Vancouver Junior
Symphony (under the direction of Frank D’Andrea).
After graduating from Kitsilano High School, Rodney travelled to
London, England as a student at The Royal Academy of Music, where he
completed his Licentiate in Performance on Viola
in 1954 as a student of Lionel Tertis (1876-1975), Max Gilbert and
Watson Forbes (1909-1997). While in London, he performed
with many different ensembles, most notably as a member of the
prestigious Royal Opera House Orchestra in
Covent Garden, until his return to Canada in
1959.
Rodney had an extensive and varied
performing career. He was an inaugural member of the
Vancouver «Arts
Quartet» performing in their premier at the
Arts Club
Theatre in 1961 (Vancouver). He also performed either as
assistant or principal violist with many different ensembles. These
included the Vancouver
Symphony, The CBC Chamber Orchestra, the Vancouver International Festival
Orchestra and later on with the Prince Edward Island
Symphony.
In 1964 he made the long trek to eastern
Canada with his family, after having accepted an appointment as a
string specialist in the Department of Music at Mount Allison University
inSackville, New Brunswick. He was promoted from Assistant
Professor of Music to Associate Professor of Music in 1972.
It was during his tenure at Mt. A. that he completed his
Master of Music Degree in Performance and Literature at the
Eastman School of Music
(1969) in Rochester, New York. In 1974, he became the
director of the Mount
Allison University Music Summer Camps, remaining in that
role until 1989.
Rodney also had an extensive career as a
conductor. His first appointment came in 1963-64 with the Vancouver Junior Symphony
Orchestra. His passion and natural ability for working with
young musicians was obvious, and shortly after arriving at Mount
Allison, he quickly became associated with the New Brunswick Youth
Orchestra (NBYO).
This would be the start of a long career
inspiring countless young musicians from all across Atlantic Canada.
He started as Regional Conductor and instructor in 1966, (the
NBYO’s first year), became Assistant Conductor in
1969, and would eventually become Principal Conductor, a
position which he held until 1987. Under his guidance, this acclaimed
orchestra
performed 6 times at the prestigious
Canadian Festival of Youth Orchestras in Banff, Alta., and in concerts
throughout Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic Provinces. In 1978, in
Mr. McLeod’s name, the orchestra won a PRO
Canada Orchestra Award for imaginative programming of
contemporary music.
After a long and rewarding teaching
career of more than 30 years, Rodney retired from Mount Allison in
June of 1996. His musical journey spanned oceans and
continents. His legacy is far-reaching and profound. His mentorship
and leadership were a gift to us all.
Rodney loved his family without reserve,
featuring them prominently in all his stories: Dodie, his high school
sweetheart and wife of almost 66 years; his three children and their
spouses, Donna-Claire and Ian, Rob and Pam, Karen and Tom; his
grandchildren and their partners, Andrew and Andrea, Caileigh and
Brady, Alec and Josiane, Hayley and Evie; and his great-grandchildren
Fionn and Bronwyn.
In return he was recognized by all who
loved him as mischievous, playful and «occasionally»
opinionated with a twinkle in his eyes, a bad pun at the ready and a
colourful vocabulary that motivated his grandchildren to keep a
«swear jar» within easy reach at all
times.
He was a perfectionist, giving his best
to every challenge and expecting the best from everyone around him in
exchange. As a musician he was equally at home performing in a world
class opera house as he was playing violin duets with his friend Polly
in her living room. Through directing the Mount Allison University
summer music camps and conducting the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra,
he inspired a generation of young musicians (including his own son and
daughter) to pursue successful careers in the performing
arts.
His industriousness, enhanced by his
ability to fully function on only five hours of sleep , shone through
in his love for systems (always searching for a way to build a
«jig» to make a job more efficient, or muttering «there
must be an easier way») and his thrift (keeping every screw,
nail, washer, and bolt organized by size and type in recycled tobacco
tins, and never throwing out a plan or tool, working or not because,
«you never know»). «Guess how much I paid for
this?» was a phrase that started innumerable conversations, and
it was with this careful use of resources that he and his wife Dodie
completed their most ambitious project, one that would be a constant
inspiration to their three children: the rebuilding of their century
farmhouse. Undaunted by the enormity of the task and with limited
resources, their tenacity instilled in two of their children a
lifelong obsession with home renovation. For their third,
Rod’s love of boats and all things marine gave way to a
lifetime love of sailing and the knowledge of how to tie a perfect
clove hitch.
Avid fisherman, skilled woodworker,
passionate photographer, and connoisseur of fine onion and cheese
sandwiches, Rod has left his family with countless memories of his
quirky proclivities. He loved Brahms but hated Rod Stewart. He never
cooked anything but oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, but ALWAYS did the
dishes. He was the king of the deal, and could smell a sale
item just by driving past a store. He never met a movie he
couldn’t sleep through, and rarely would remember the
salient details if he did stay awake, famously describing Star Wars as
«that movie with the big cat where stuff falls over». His
unflagging loyalty in life and love extended to his brand of car,
claiming that his Subaru had saved his son’s life in a head-on highway
collision with a snowplow. He always fixed his glasses with
his middle finger when they slipped down his nose. He was the best
audience for his own jokes.
Above all, he was steadfast, kind,
genuine and supremely talented. He will be greatly
missed.
To honour Rod’s legacy his
family requests that donations be made to the New Brunswick Youth
Orchestra.
Arrangements are under the supervision
of Jones Funeral Home, 70 Bridge Street,
Sackville, NB (506-364-1300). Cremation has taken
place. There are to be no services at this
time.
Sharing of memories and condolences may
be sent to the family by visiting the online memorial at
www.jonesfuneralhome.ca or through the Jones Funeral Home Facebook
Page.
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19302021
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Prof Rodney Orland McLeod 19302021..
Décès pour la Ville: Sackville, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick