David and Mary Jane Watson are music lovers

A conversation with them reveals their deep-seated passion for making music and all that that entails.  There is joy in practice to master pitch, cadence and tone.  There is appreciation for the conductor’s convictions about realizing the intent of the piece. There is vulnerability, but there is also the assurance that offering your part to join the parts of others will make a splendid whole.  There is the eagerness that an audience will share the experience with you, and with each other.

How fitting, then, that both Mary Jane and David are members of the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra.  This is a community group, and its very name is rooted in a devotion to, and a love of music.

Mary Jane’s father was a professional singer who went on to be an international adjudicator and teacher.  While he was reluctant to press his children into music, Mary Jane took piano, sang in choirs, then began her studies in cello in retirement.  David’s father, who during the depression struggled to afford musical instruments and lessons, did urge his children into music and by the age of 16, David was playing with the Winnipeg Symphony. 

They have continued their musical pursuits to learn, to perfect and to perform.  These experiences have built strong relationships with an abundance of fellow musicians.  “They’re not like colleagues in a nine-to-five job,” says David of the bonds that grow between musicians.  “Working with others to make something intricate builds trust and lasting friendships.”

Both David and Mary Jane express a deep sense of gratitude to be able to make good music with good people, to benefit from the expertise of skilled conductors and for the resulting strong bonds built with fellow musicians and a community that supports and appreciates fine music.