KC Gates

“Lo duca e io per quel cammino ascoso intrammo a ritornar nel chiaro mondo; e sanza cura aver d’alcun riposo, salimmo sù, el primo e io secondo, tanto ch’i’ vidi de le cose belle che porta ‘l ciel, per un pertugio tondo. E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.” The stars are shining for you,…

I met Zeke in the early 2000s at New England Music Camp. We swam together in “swim for fit” (I was terrible and he was kind and encouraging) and traded jokes in orchestra (the viola section sat just below the oboes – mostly the jokes were about burning violas or burning oboes). I kept in…

What a tremendous loss. Zeke’s smile and personality lit up the room. I met Zeke when he was giving a guest lecture for an opera class at Dartmouth that I happened to be sitting in on. His passion for music was immediately apparent. I admired how he wanted everyone to experience the joys of live…

Dear McMullen-Lairds, My mother heart aches for your loss. My music heart aches for the world’s loss. My spirit rejoices in the ongoing light of Christopher’s presence in the world. May you gradually find what you need for mending this huge hole in the fabric of your lives! “May eternal light surround you Everlasting arms…