Jan Overduin Obituary Waterloo Ontario, Beloved Organist Has Sadly Passed Away

Jan Overduin Obituary, Death Cause – Hearing of Jan Overduin’s passing has left me with a profound sense of loss. He was a variety of things to a wide variety of people. He was an outstanding educator, guide, and source of motivation and friendship for me. Our history together spans several decades, beginning when I was perhaps 11 years old and he played a concert at my church, accompanied on trumpet by Erik Schultz, who has since passed away.

I used the Sony tape recorder that belonged to my dad to capture the concert, and I must have listened to that cassette more than one hundred times. Bach was joined on the program by Albinoni, Torelli, and Walther in addition to Bach. Even after the show, he took the time to speak with me, and that interaction left a significant mark on me. Although I had always been a fan of organ music, I had never before heard the instrument played in such a way. I was completely captivated by it.

Later on, when I was a teenager, I would occasionally miss my church service in order to travel to St. Matthew’s Lutheran in Kitchener to hear him play the piano. There is a telltale indicator of defiance in young people… His improvisations on the final verses of hymns and the other music that was played during the service are something that I will never forget. I had never heard anything quite like it before, and I found myself getting emotional as a result.

To be fair, I was not like other children my age (16), but I did know that I wanted to become a church organist and musician, and I aspired to be able to influence people’s worship experiences even a small fraction as much as he did. I give that some thought at least once per week. While I was still in high school, he also asked me to play the violin for his choir and gave me the opportunity to play the organ, despite the fact that I was petrified and my hands were shaking violently.

My decision to take organ lessons with Jan at Laurier was one about which I was completely certain, and the tone that those lessons set for the remainder of my week was frequently determined by those classes. Not only in terms of music, but in many other areas as well, he was a great teacher for me. He had genuine concern for each and every one of his pupils, and they, in turn, had profound regard for him. I remember attending multiple concerts in and around the K-W area, as well as going all the way to Hamilton and Buffalo to see him perform there. Since the day I met him, I’ve been pleased to call him my instructor.

I

Jan Overduin Obituary, Death Cause – Hearing of Jan Overduin’s passing has left me with a profound sense of loss. He was a variety of things to a wide variety of people. He was an outstanding educator, guide, and source of motivation and friendship for me. Our history together spans several decades, beginning when I…