James Frederick Weaver

February 12, 1958 - May 4, 2015
James Frederick Weaver

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James Frederick Weaver, nationally and internationally known bass-baritone soloist and expert in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and other 17th and 18th century oratorio masters, died suddenly Monday May 4 of an aortic dissection. He was 57.

Locally, he thrived and relished his nearly 27-year tenure as director of music and director of the Chancel and Youth choirs at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Weaver was born on February 12, 1958 in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Carol Weaver Juskusky and the late James Ernest Weaver. He studied music at the University of Michigan and earned a degree certificate in vocal performance from Amsterdam’s Sweelinck Conservatory in 1987, studying with the renowned bass and baritone vocal specialist Max van Egmond.

For the past 30 years he frequently performed with many of the best orchestras and chamber ensembles in North America and Europe, performing with such diverse groups as Collegium Vocale Ghent, The Academy of the Begynhof, the Dutch experimental theater group GRIF, Ensemble Courant, the Orpheus Band, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Dryden Ensemble, Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Seattle and Portland Baroque Orchestras, the Baltimore Consort, Newberry Consort, Columbus Consort and the Ricercar Consort. An acclaimed Bach specialist, Mr. Weaver worked with Joshua Rifkin and The Bach Ensemble, Jeffrey Thomas and the American Bach Soloists, Kenneth Slowik and the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the San Francisco Bach Choir, Capriole, baroque ensemble, Bethlehem Bach Choir, the Washington Bach Consort, and the Richmond Choral Society.

Memorable engagements included appearances with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society in a performance of Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, the Messiah with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Bach’s Mass in B Minor at the Boulder Bach Festival, as well as engagements with the American Bach Soloists, Angelica Bach Soloists, and the Washington Men’s Camerata. A sought-after interpreter of Lieder, Jim collaborated with pianists Dalton Baldwin and Kenneth Slowik in the presentation of baroque music.

Mr. Weaver was critically acclaimed for ìfirst-class performances, rich in tone, clear, and forceful in diction, powerfully emotive in styleî (The Washington Post), ìfirm, flexible, expressively vivid tones throughout a wide vocal compassî (Chicago Tribune), ìa strong command of lineî (San Francisco Examiner), and ìwonderfully clean, woodwind-like passagework; mellifluous German; a warm tone colorî (The Boston Globe).

He gathered his choral conducting expertise beginning at St. Stephenís Church in Seattle, as an assistant director and later as director of the Seattle German Choir from 1983-1985 and took the chancel choir director job at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church ìfor just a little while,î he said; that little while lasted for the rest of his life. The church leadership always allowed him to travel and perform elsewhere provided there was a another qualified choir director available on Sundays.

Mr. Weaver came from a musical family; his mother is a singer, piano teacher and church organist who encouraged all her children to explore music by exposing them to a wide variety of musical style. In high school he performed with and composed music for his school chorus and in the summers attended the Fred Waring Choral workshops at East Stroudsburg State College in Pennsylvania. Briefly he studied music theory, history and hymnology at Judson University in Elgin Illinois.

In 1981 he moved to Seattle, where he sang with several choral organizations. He studied with Peter Hallock, organist, choirmaster and liturgist and director for 40 years at St. Markís Cathedral in Seattle, where Mr. Weaver sang at the Cathedral with the St. Augustan Singers, an all menís group dedicated to the performance of Anglican liturgical music. He also was one of three ìcantorsî in the Compline Choir, which performed every Sunday evening. A special recording of the world premier of Night Music, by Hallock, featured him as a soloist with the Augustan Singers. Hallock wrote the piece especially for Mr. Weaver.

He met Mr. van Egmond while in Seattle and had the opportunity in 1985 to study with him in Amsterdam and to perform frequently in Holland, Germany and Belgium and in Eastern Europe. He moved back to the States in 1987 and in 1988 relocated to Williamsburg after which he performed with the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra and Chorus in Bachís St. John Passion, where he sang the role of Christ. Other performances of the same oratorio were with the Bach Choir in San Francisco in the role of Pilot.

One of his favorite Bach works was the St. Matthew Passion; he performed the role of Pilot with the Houston Oratorio Society and the State College Choral Society at Penn State University and as Christ in other musical ensembles. Likewise he made numerous recordings with the American Bach Soloists on Koch International and on the Dorian, Smithsonian, Channel Classics, Ricercar and Newport Classic labels.

Mr. Weaver grew richly and intensely in his choral conducting and his religious approach to music at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church. After directing several special concerts by the church chancel choir including Handelís oratorio Israel in Egypt, and putting together CDs of religious musicóHandelís Messiah and Echoes of Mercy, Favorite Worship Anthemsóhe decided that ìspecial choral musicî should best be sung within the context of worship services. For example, portions of a Bach cantata, Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, were sung in Sunday morning services about eight weeks ago.


Memorial

Sunday, May 10, 2015
12:00 AM

Williamsburg Presbyterian Church - Directions
215 Richmond Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185

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  • May 09, 2015
    Glenda Miller says:
    Jeanette and Michael, my sincere sympathy to both of you. I only worked with Jim for a year at WPC but have so many fond memories of that time. Know that my thoughts and prayers surround you through these difficult days. God's peace, Glenda Miller

  • May 09, 2015
    Barbara A. Eddins says:
    Jeanette, Michael, and family...We are so sorry about Jim's passing. He has made such an impression on every person he ever touched. He was truly unique. We will miss him so much, but his influence will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all those children he taught. We love you all...Eddins Family

  • July 19, 2015
    Leslie Martin says:
    Jim sang his first Bach cantata with us at St. Stephenís, Seattle in 1981. What great musical experiences we shared together; and what a great voice. How fitting and proper that one of Jim's last musical offerings was Bach's sublime masterpiece, cantata 106, "Gottes Zeit ist die Allerbeste Zeit" ñ bearing a message of confident expectation for the departing soul: In deine H‰nde befehl ich meinen Geist; du hast mich erlˆset, Herr, du getreuer Gott. Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein. (Into Your hands I commit my spirit, You have redeemed me, Lord, faithful God. Today you will be with Me in Paradise.) May you receive a glorious welcome into the choir of angels, my friend.

  • May 13, 2015
    Courtney Malone says:
    Jim was a good friend with a passion for musical expression. My life was forever changed by his introduction to the power of certain musical works and the privilege of bringing them to life. He will be deeply missed.

  • May 16, 2015
    Keith Taylor says:
    Jim, you were a shinning star. Not only for your wonderful music talent but for the person who you were. From the time I remember you as a boy until now you always had a great sense of humor and a energetic personality. I feel blessed for having known you. I will be praying for your family for God to give them peace and comfort at this time.