Joanne Hart led an extraordinary life, as a child, student, mother, wife, friend, volunteer, organist and businesswoman. She gave her all to everything with her boundless energy and dedication.
She was born Mary Joanne Williams on Jun 14, 1927, in New Philadelphia, Ohio, to George and Marie Williams. At age 6, she began piano lessons, continuing until age 16, when she turned to the pipe organ. Her senior year, she became organist at New Philadelphia’s Presbyterian Church.
After high school, following her mother’s and aunt’s paths, she studied music at Oberlin College. When she married Donald Hart, she continued her studies at the College of Wooster. Six years of lessons under Dr. Richard T. Gore, professor at Wooster’s Conservatory of Music, taught her the intricacies of the pipe organ.
In 1953, Joanne’s young family moved to Akron, Ohio. She became organist at Bethany Lutheran Church, where a tradition started. For the Easter Sunday postlude, she played Charles Marie Widor’s magnificent Toccata from Symphony V. For the Christmas postlude, it was J S Bach’s Baroque masterpiece, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. When she became organist at Trinity United Church of Christ, the tradition continued for the next fifteen years.
Joanne’s life in Akron was a busy one. First, she raised her three children. She was an active member in the American Guild of Organists, as well as the Akron Children’s Concert Society. As a part-time job, she played for funerals at Billows funeral home. $5 per funeral!
In 1970, Joanne and her family moved to Toronto. Joanne joined the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO), where she was Regional Director for thirteen years and managed the National Travelling Clinicians program. She also served on the National Council. In 2012, RCCO recognized her by making her an Honorary Life Member and presenting her with the Distinguished Service Award.
Joanne was also active in the Toronto Symphony Volunteers Committee. She organized and led their popular musical-education program in which Symphony musicians presented lecture-demonstrations to music students at area high schools.
With the idea of helping aspiring concert musicians become known, in 1974 Joanne partnered with Anne Murdoch to launch Hart-Murdoch Artists Management. When they retired, twenty-three years later, the small, four-person firm had assisted represented over 150 musicians, organizing tours in Canada, and internationally. for them throughout Canada.
1974 was also the year Joanne become organist at Toronto’s First Church of Christ Science. There, her Easter and Christmas postlude tradition continued, starting with the Widor Toccata at Easter. Word circulated before the service that their new organist was playing a special piece for the postlude. Instead of standing to leave when it started, the congregation remained seated. At the ending long, glorious chord, silence. Then, a sprinkle of clapping. Soon, the entire congregation was clapping—and kept clapping. At Christmas, it was the same.
The tradition Joanne started in 1953 ended 66 years later, in 2019, when she was 92. Old age did not stop her. The COVID lockdown did.
Joanne Hart, you will be missed.
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Both pieces will be played at Joanne Hart’s memorial service, at Toronto’s Metropolitan United Church. Saturday, January 18, at 11 AM.
All are welcome.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, January 15. hartchr@gmail.com
