Last week, Byron Hanson passed away at the age of 79.
Classical IPR is celebrating Hanson's music and life on the air on Thursday, March 24.
We grieve his loss along with the entire Interlochen community.
From his first summer as a student playing the baritone horn in 1958, Hanson was a fixture at Interlochen Center for the Arts.
Over the years, he conducted the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra and Band, served as the institution's first Director of Music for Academy and Camp, was a collaborative pianist for hundreds of musicians and also served as Interlochen's first archivist.
He was also active in the Grand Traverse Region, organizing the annual Messiah Sing at Traverse City's Central United Methodist Church and directing the NMC Grand Traverse Chorale.
He attended the Eastman School of Music in the 1960s, playing in the legendary Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Frederick Fennell.
Composer Thom Ritter George even wrote a sonata for baritone horn and piano for Hanson when the two were classmates at Eastman.
We asked friends, colleagues and former students to share their memories of him - you'll hear those on air throughout the day.
Enjoy some of the photos that were shared with us. Click any image to view all of them as a slide show.
Many thanks to Eileen Ganter for her assistance.
