In Memory of Riet Vink
By now, many of you will have heard of the passing of the incredible and incomparable Riet Vink – musician and educator extraordinaire. I first met Riet at YCC 25 years ago. I, a young accompanist in university, new to the NSCF, and she a retired teacher with more spunk than I’d ever witnessed – working as a chaperone, and donning the most incredible outfit for dress up dinner! I think I heard her laugh first. I immediately wanted to be her when I grew up. Her impact in this province was profound, and her loss will be deeply felt by all those who knew her, loved her, learned from her, shared in music making with her – or ever heard her tell one of her incredible stories. The NSCF would like to extend our sincere condolences to all of you.
Please see below some wonderful tributes to Riet from Tim Cross, our former ED who worked with Riet many times over the years, and Malcolm Bradley, choral conductor, Kodaly specialist music educator, and former head of Halifax All City program.
The Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2025 at Calvin Presbyterian Church, located at 3311 Ashburn Avenue, Halifax, NS at 1:00pm. Early visitation with the family will begin at 12:00pm. For streaming options, please refer to Calvin Presbyterian Church on Facebook, closer to the date.
Charitable donations can be made to Calvin Presbyterian Church Mission and Outreach Fund, NS Kodály Society, NS Choral Federation or the charity of your choice.
MEMORIES OF RIET: TIM CROSS
I first met Riet in 1982 when she was on the NSCF Nominations Committee. I immediately recognized her passion for music and music education and her zest for life. Over the years Riet continued to be an active member of the Nova Scotia Choral Federation, serving on the board, and on committees and in recognition of her work and dedication to both NSCF and the choral art she was welcomed as an Honorary Life Member. One of my favourite memories of Riet is of her arriving at Junior Choir Camp in Berwick to volunteer as a camp counsellor. On her way to camp she had been excited by all the wildflowers along the highway and had stopped to pick enormous bouquets of brown-eyed Susan, daisies, chicory, and wild grasses to put in large buckets at her cabin door to welcome her campers!
For many years I’d see Riet at almost every choral concert and music event I attended. She always made sure to interact with young singers and went out of her way to encourage and congratulate them on their performances. She touched the lives of countless musicians and educators and is fondly remembered for her wonderful stories.
MEMORIES OF RIET: MALCOLM BRADLEY
In the winter of 1979, I was privileged to attend an elementary school music workshop in Moncton with the famous Kodaly inspired teacher, Riet Vink, as the day long presenter. It was hard to imagine that we would meet again in the fall of 1980 and become great friends for 45 years.
Riet was an alto in the Halifax Chamber Choir and that is where we met in1980. At that point, the John W. MacLeod school choir was the envy on many music teachers in the area. That choir was conducted by Riet. They participated in the performance of the St. Matthew Passion with the Chamber Choir and were selected to perform the world debut of a five-movement song cycle for treble voices by Alex Tilley, including In Flanders Field. Soon after, that setting of this famous poem was being performed by treble choirs across the country. With her passion for the Kodaly approach, Riet’s classroom singing was also a model to look up to. I felt that I had reached the pinnacle of my elementary music career when the Caldwell Road grade six classes achieved a higher mark in the music festival than the LeMarchant-St. Thomas classes, where Riet was then teaching.
It was always a joy to hear Riet discuss the wonderful concerts with the Atlantic Symphony and the Atlantic Symphony Choir. It meant so much to her to be able to sing the larger choral works with the orchestra and she remained a lifelong friend of Klaro Mizerit and his family. The Dalhousie Chorale became an important part of Riet’s choral life and again, that joy of singing the larger choral works that she loved so much. In the later years, Riet’s alto voice was found in the Dalhousie Collegium Cantorum. Riet also joined the Dartmouth Choral Society for a season and when founder Kaye Pottie went on sabbatical, Riet conducted the Chebucto Community Singers for one year. It was always a pleasure for Riet to help on special occasions with the choir at Calvin Presbyterian Church.
So many long telephone conversations about repertoire and rehearsal approaches and things that either of us might do differently. So many long telephone and in person conversations about what went right and what went wrong with performances or rehearsals. These conversations with this dear friend so immersed in the choral art meant so much. As another colleague recently mentioned, even if a performance didn’t reach Riet’s exacting level, Riet would always find something positive and encouraging to say. In recent years, I have to chuckle at my reminding Riet not to make a face when
tuning wasn’t quite up to standard, or a particular voice part went off on a tangent. That frown could express a thousand words. In the last year and a half, it was always a joy to sit with Riet at Calvin Church and even with advancing age and breathing issues, that wonderful clear voice would ring out on the hymns. Music and choral singing can add so much to our lives and help build friendships and community that can last for so many years. Thank you, Riet, for that wonderful model and being so much a part of my
journey.