As with everyone, I deeply grieve the loss of such a vibrant, loving, delightful, talented, hard working, young man, Chris McMullen-Laird. I was his orchestra teacher at Pioneer H.S. in Ann Arbor, MI, during his time there. During his senior year, we had him conduct the orchestra at one of our final concerts. And with…
I met Christopher in 2003 when we were both placed in Mainz, Germany for a year of study abroad on scholarships from the Federation of German-American Clubs. We were introduced by our dear caretaker and contact person at the university, Frau Ursula Bell-Köhler. Christopher became such a dear friend. He shared his beautiful soul and…
Dearest Zeke, For your most precious friendship, we thank you. For the times we spent together, sharing music, opera, books, stories, projects, food, Mozart, hopes and dreams, we thank you. For your never-ending love and devotion to your family and friends, we thank you. Your winning smile, infectious laughter, fun- loving, creative self and…
Most inspirational conductor. Will be missed by many.
Christopher guest conducted the Surrey Mozart Players on 7 December 2019 for a performance of Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez with Giacomo Susani as soloist and Schubert Symphony no. 3 at the Electric Theatre in Guildford. Christopher delighted us with his infectious enthusiasm, charisma, warmth and humour, and conscientious and…
Christopher was my nephew and a wunderkind. Among his long list of qualities, I was impressed by his ability to momentarily interrupt his passionate drive to meet his goals with some goofy joie de vivre. While appearing serendipitous, I often wondered if it was part of his recipe for success. His abrupt passing is a…