Nunc Dimittis
Joel Ross Hastings, a resident of Tallahassee, Florida, died on May 26. He was 46. Born July 22, 1969, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, he spent his childhood in North Bay and Windsor. He earned degrees in organ (BM) and piano (MM, DMA) from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. At the time of his death he was on the piano faculty at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Hastings performed in venues across North America and Europe and made a number of recordings. He had served as organist at churches in the Windsor and Detroit areas, and was the organist at First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor for eleven years. Joel Ross Hastings is survived by his wife Charise (Harrison) Hastings, his parents John and Sharon (Stewart) Hastings, his brother Ian (Meaghan) Hastings, his nephew Joseph Henry Hastings, and his niece Willa Grace Hastings.
André Isoir died July 20, on his birthday. Born July 20, 1935, in Saint-Dizier, France, he studied organ and piano at the École César-Franck. He then studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Rolande Falcinelli (organ), winning first prizes in organ and improvisation in 1960. Among various competition honors were St. Albans (1965) and three successive Haarlem competitions. Isoir served as titular organist at St-Médard, St-Séverin, and the Abbey of St-Germain-des-Près, all in Paris. He taught organ at the Conservatoire d’Orsay from 1974 until 1983, when he moved to the Conservatoire National de Region de Boulogne-Billancourt, where he taught organ until 1994. With sixty recordings in his discography, he won the Grand Prix du Disque eight times between 1972 and 1991. Among his many awards was the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres.
Kenneth George Yates of Savannah, Georgia, died March 16 at the age of 69 after a brief illness. Born in Massachusetts, he began piano and then organ studies at an early age. In high school, he served as assistant organist for All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Ashmont, Massachusetts. After serving in the U. S. Navy as chaplain’s assistant for four years aboard the aircraft carrier U. S. S. Intrepid, Ken finished his degree in church music from Boston University in 1973. He taught music in the Boston Public Schools for nearly ten years and served as organist and choirmaster at the Church of the Epiphany, Walpole, Massachusetts, and also at St. Paul’s Church, Brockton, Massachusetts. Ken moved to Savannah in 1983 to become organist and choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church, where he served until 1999. At the time of his death he was organist and choirmaster at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Savannah. In addition, Ken served other churches in the Savannah area: Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, Christ Church Episcopal, Congregation Mickve Israel, and All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Kenneth George Yates is survived by his brother David Yates, sister-in-law Joan Yates, and nieces Patty Schmitz and Margaret Marshall. A memorial service was held April 7 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Savannah. Memorial gifts may be made to the organ restoration project at Sacred Heart Catholic Church (1707 Bull St., Savannah, Georgia 31401) or to the music program of St. John’s Episcopal Church (1 W. Macon St., Savannah, Georgia 31401).
