Susanne Schiller

I remember hearing about Christopher long before I met him, which was during the late 90s. At the time, I was Purple’s voice teacher and lived just down the street from the McMullen-Laird family. I taught quite a number of Steiner School students and Christopher’s reputation definitely preceded him! He had been described to me…

Christopher – or Zeke, as we called him at Dartmouth – and I became dear friends in college despite never having taken a single class together. We have always shared a love of languages and as undergraduates, we had a common (and very lucrative!) side job as teaching assistants for introductory French and German courses….

Hey Christopher, als Teil deiner deutschen Family möchten wir drei Pfistert-Mädels unsere Bestürzung über deinen allzu frühen Tod zum Ausdruck bringen. Die Nachricht traf uns wie ein Paukenschlag. Wir sind fassungslos – wir sind traurig – uns fehlen die Worte. Es waren immer ganz besondere Momente wenn Du bei uns in Sontheim einen Zwischenstopp eingelegt…

Chris was the most extraordinary human being I have ever met. His positive influence with us at KCLSO was immeasurable. Personally, it was an honour to work beside Chris on my first proper concerto with the orchestra, which involved a wonderful tour to Loire Valley. I will cherish our memories of working on it together….

After knowing Christopher for only a short while, it was clear to me that he was a truly exceptional person.  From our very first meeting he made me feel such a special friend and valued colleague as he always offered generous words of encouragement. His incandescence shone through those beautiful eyes and irrepressible smile. Thank…