​Kimia Ghaderi/violin

Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to play my first GRS 5th Grade concert with John Varineau. Even though this year’s concert looked far different than it probably did in a typical year, when there would have been thousands of students filling the hall, I could still sense the enormity of the occasion. The feeling of community, both onstage and in the music we played for the cameras, was palpable. Thank you John for helping us build a foundation of love and support for one another and for our community members, always with great humor. This is a legacy I look forward to being a part of for many more years to come! 

 

George Goad/trumpet

I have the special memory of working with John in the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony for two years. John fostered a fun and optimistic experience on one rehearsal per week, taking us into some of the big time repertoire. My most touching experience would be playing "Pictures at an Exhibition" under his baton near the end of my senior year. What a cool way to cap off my time with GRYS before going off to music conservatory. His care and dedication was always so evident. Thank you John for your service to the community and for being a voice of encouragement in my life!

 

Christine Golden/violin

John always worked hard and always treated everyone with kindness and respect. His legacy of engaging performances, audience connection, and caring about the musical education of young people is woven into who we are as an organization. As if conducting an orchestra is not demanding enough by itself, John was willing to take on countless other projects to help the Grand Rapids Symphony. With all of his intellectual gifts, I have no doubt that there were plenty of other professions that John could have chosen. I am glad that he chose music and Grand Rapids. Thank you John! May you and Gwen enjoy a wonderful time in this next chapter of your lives.

 

Kathleen Gomez/oboe and English horn

What can I say about JPV? He is a great educator, knowledgeable music scholar, wonderful conductor, and sincere friend. Besides that, he has so many files in his memory bank! If you are trying to remember a concert or a piece of music but just cannot, ask John. He will know! There was a fun performance that John organized years ago that I will never forget. He got a small orchestra together to perform Handel's "The Messiah" in Gaylord. The best part was that we got to stay in a ski lodge. A good time was had by all! Being part of John's final GRS 5th Grade concert brought tears to my eyes. Playing for the last time with him the J. S. Bach "Little Fugue in g minor", Beethoven's 5th, the finale to Rossini's "William Tell Overture", and the Sousa march brought a flood of memories to mind. John will be greatly missed.

 

Diane McElfish Helle/violin

Combining live orchestra with film is a common activity for American orchestras now. However, when John began that activity with the GRS, it was a brand new experience for everyone. Leaving the dress rehearsal on the afternoon of our very first time to do so, there was a feeling of trepidation; the projector had repeatedly broken down, and we had not managed to do even one successful run-through. John sent us off to our dinners with the promise that he’d have everything solved by the time we returned. True to his promise, when the musicians returned to the stage for the performance, all problems were solved, with a projector swapped and John ready on the podium. We went on to have a first-rate show that evening before a full house. When it became clear that our audiences enjoyed seeing films with live orchestra, we branched out to other types of movies. This became one of John’s specialties, and he did it without any of the fancy technology. John coordinated music with the film using just the timings marked in his score and a clock with a second hand sweep. One of the most memorable movie moments onstage with John occurred during our performance of "The Wizard of Oz". There is a long, non-stop, instrumental section during the film's tornado scene which culminates in the sudden cut-off of all sound at the exact moment the house lands on the ground. There was absolutely no room for error. At the performance, the scene began with the funnel cloud swirling on the giant screen above and the orchestra playing like mad. John was driving us faster and faster and then BAM, at the precise moment when we hit our last note, the house hit the ground. Perfection! It felt like a game-winning touchdown! What the audience saw at that moment was a conductor standing calmly on the podium. However, if you had been on stage facing the conductor, you would have seen something else: John's beaming face, his hands against his chest with his fingers doing an enthusiastic “happy dance” as he mouthed “WooHoo!” in a soundless but jubilant celebration.

 

Michael Hovnanian/bass

As we all know, playing a score along with a film can be incredibly difficult, and John has led us through so many outstanding performances of movies. One instance in particular sticks out in my mind, though. When playing "Home Alone" a few years ago, there is a spot where the youth chorus sings acapella, then the orchestra has to enter perfectly synced up with the movie. With their adrenaline pumping during the performance, the youth chorus pushed ahead and got off by a couple of measures. I can clearly remember looking up at John, terrified as to how he would navigate the orchestra's rapidly approaching entrance. Then, in a herculean act reminiscent of tales of people lifting a car to help a trapped child escape, John, by sheer talent and technique, pulled the entire youth chorus back into sync with the film. Not just beats, but entire measures were recovering in just a few moments, allowing for a seamless orchestral entrance. The audience I am sure noticed nothing, but to me it was a perfect example of John saving the day, which is something we have seen him do countless times.

 

Judy Kemph/flute and piccolo

John Varineau has been a pleasure to work with for these thirty-six seasons. His kind heart, generous intellect, superb musicianship, and sense of humor made working with John enriching and fun. Thank you John for all of the above and for the multitudinous times you saved me with your cues and clear direction. Best wishes for a retirement as fabulously successful as your Grand Rapids Symphony career, from your colleague and fan!

 

Jack Latta/percussion

Thanks for all your incredibly hard work, John. Your work both on and off stage have been essential to the growth of the orchestra, and I’m so grateful that we have such a good foundation to keep building into the future. Have a relaxing retirement!

 

Chris Martin/violin

A standout among many of fond personal recollections of what an amazing musician and person John Varineau is dates back to 2006. John was approached by the Symphony to present a Casual Classics program at St Cecilia, and he brilliantly came up with a program called "Film Transformations" (made up entirely of music written for the cinema). The program consisted of Nino Rota's music for Fellini's "La Strada", Virgil Thomson's music for the 1936 documentary "The Plow That Broke the Plains", and John Corigliano's "Suite from The Red Violin". I was honored and excited that John asked me to play the solo part to the Corigliano, one iteration of several versions of the film score (Chaconne, Concerto, Etudes) that Corigliano created from the movie (he learned how to milk a cash cow from Stravinsky!). The Suite is just for strings and percussion and so was perfect for St Cecilia's auditorium. I set about getting the part and soon learned that there was no piano reduction for the piece, obviously a major stumbling block to being able to adequately prepare a concerted work. Not missing a beat, John, in his usual unassuming manner, jumped in and created a reduction from scratch for me which I then was able to use in workshopping the piece at Magic Mountain Music Farm in upstate New York the summer before the performance. John's quiet generosity and unwavering dedication to the art of music, to his colleagues and of course to the Grand Rapids Symphony, is a model for all of us. His support in giving me such a wonderful opportunity for growth and self realization is something I will always treasure.

 

Daniel Mattson/trombone

My first concert in DeVos Hall is one I can still see in my mind's eye, even though it took place nearly 25 years ago, with John Varineau on the podium. I was still a student at MSU and was called to come and play the extra trombone part on Witold Lutoslawski's terrific "Concerto for Orchestra". It was my first time subbing with the GRS, and I was as nervous as I ever had been. But I'll never forget that first concert, and I'll always recall that the first time I ever played with this fine orchestra was under the baton of John Varineau. Little did I know that not too long after that, I would be hired into the Grand Rapids Symphony by John Varineau as well! The second trombone position was open during the period of time between Catherine Comet and David Lockington and, for any auditions that took place during that season, John was the acting Music Director (which meant he had the final say on who would be hired). I'll never forget that audition; it was grueling, since I was asked to play five rounds. The final round was certainly unique! Apparently some members on the committee were concerned about a few issues with rhythm, and so they decided to have one final round, with me onstage along with Maestro John Varineau. The question, ultimately, was if I could follow a conductor. I'll never forget being onstage, playing my trombone part to pieces like Rossini's "Overture to La Gazza Ladra" five feet away from John, who was conducting a sole trombone player. And I'll always be thankful to him that in the final analysis, he said, "Yes, let's give him a chance". One of the highlights of my career was performing James Stephenson's "La Grand Vitesse" triple brass concerto, commissioned by the Grand Rapids Symphony for the (at the time) three Assistant Principal brass players: Charley Lea, Erich Peterson, and myself. John Varineau conducted the premier and subsequent performances of the piece. Essential to the success of that premier and performance was John's support of the idea from the very beginning, as well as his fine ability to accompany soloists. I'll always be grateful to John for helping bring this piece into existence, and supporting my colleagues and me in bringing this terrific piece to our audiences. It was with sadness that I heard that John would be retiring. He truly is irreplaceable, considering all he has done for our organization over the years. I admire and appreciate John immensely. He is a conductor who musicians can always count on to be prepared and knows what we need and when we need it in order to play our best. He is a remarkably humble man and has always viewed his role in the orchestra to be of service to the audience, the composer, and the musicians, and he has done that extraordinarily well through his long career. On top of this, his rapport with audiences is remarkable. He has also been a great gift to the effort of music education in West Michigan. He has introduced classical music to literally hundreds of thousands of young people during his long tenure, as well as helping to shape future professional musicians through his long tenure at the helm of the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony. He has been so impactful in this regard that the GRS now has within its ranks members who began their musical journey with the GR Youth Symphony, ensuring that the legacy of John Varineau's musical gifts to the West Michigan community will endure long after his retirement. In conclusion, all I can say is "Bravo, John, and thank you"!

 

Alexander Miller/oboe

I don't believe the Grand Rapids Symphony Society will ever be blessed with another member like John Varineau. He has made a positive impact on every arm of the organization while simultaneously claiming none of the credit. John was a tireless educator, fundraiser, advocate for new music, artistic planner, and especially a conductor who could be relied upon to fiercely lead any type of program, even if the baton was handed to him at the last minute.

 

Victoria Olson/bassoon

My first concert on Principal Bassoon here was with John conducting the opening Classical concert of the season! Congratulations on a great career and a well-deserved retirement. 

 

Erich Peterson/horn

John Varineau owns a special place in the hearts of everyone in our house. He was my wife Sarah’s first orchestra conductor in the GRYS and her first conducting teacher (on the podium of a GRS 5th Grade concert). For our two girls, he is THE conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony. They are so excited to see him conduct and always have a hug for him whenever they see him (right now it’s an elbow bump!). When we cancelled the first batch of concerts last spring due to COVID, both of our daughters were literally in tears at the news – not because they were going to miss our performances of "Peter Rabbit" or the movie "Up", but because “Now we can’t see Mr. John Varineau conduct”. When we’ve asked Amelia what instrument she wants to play, she says she wants to be a conductor like “Mr. John Varineau” and conduct concerts for kids. The list of John’s positive qualities is seemingly endless, but one thing that stands out is his “I can do that” attitude. John is always looking to help people and the GRS in any way that he can to make a difference. If there’s something that needs to be done, he will usually volunteer in some way. If he doesn’t know how to do it, he’ll learn it and figure it out. He has built his life and career around this giving attitude for helping others. You can ask him to help with just about anything and he will figure out a way that he can contribute, including being carried onstage inside of Santa’s bag of toys! John was looking for a way to make a grand entrance for a GRS Holiday Pops concert, and he asked if I thought I would be able to carry him onstage in my bag. Of course I said “I can do that!”. Here is the photo of John in that bag!