Blair Bailey, the longtime director of music at a downtown Orillia church, is retiring on Aug. 31 after 39 years at St. Paul's.
Bailey began his career at St. Paul’s in August 1984 after graduating from the University of Toronto with his bachelor of music. Now 65, Bailey, says music was always a passion for him while growing up.
“I took piano lessons at a young age,” he explained. “I finished the Royal Conservatory associate diploma by the time I finished high school.”
While attending Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute, Bailey played trombone in the Kiltie Band and local dance bands.
“I grew up in Orillia, this is my hometown, so I knew that all the downtown churches were close together,” he said. “There was a very active music program of choirs, especially.”
When Bailey first took the job at St. Paul's, the youth choir was tenuous. It was a goal of Bailey's to get it up and going again, which he did.
“I was able to keep it going,” he said with pride. “It went on for almost 30 years, and the children’s choir for 35 years.”
While being led by Bailey, the youth choir went on to stage memorable musicals such as You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and Godspell. Music program members of all ages used the momentum from the youth choir to tackle productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Anne of Green Gables.
“Those have all been really significant,” he said. “I was very active in Mariposa Arts Theatre growing up, it was always an interest of mine, so it was such a natural fit.”
Bailey says the congregation worked hard to produce the musicals and was supportive of creating a team of people who built the sets, costumes, and casts.
Over the years, Bailey has served Mariposa Arts Theatre, Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival, The Cellar Singers, amoung other music organizations and groups.
When people reflect on Bailey’s legacy, he hopes people recognize that he always put his position with St. Paul’s before anything else.
“This was my main commitment and I always put it first,” he said. “I was very committed to this position throughout this whole time.”
If you’re not going to be a school teacher, it can be risky trying to make a career in the arts industry. Even for Bailey, his position at St. Paul’s was only part-time.
“I had to make up for that to have a career by teaching private music lessons and freelance work,” he said. “It’s been great, but it is demanding.”
Bailey says it’s time to let go of some of his work demands.
“When you get to this age, you don’t quite have the same amount of energy that you once did,” he said. “When you play in a church and are responsible for the music, you are having to be constantly planning the music for every week.”
Bailey says the expectation of rehearsing, preparing, and choosing the music for the church’s services each week had started to wear him down over the past two years.
“It’s been wonderful having a very supportive congregation who really has a real interest in the musical life of the weekly services and other special events,” he said. “But I just don’t have the same energy that I used to.”
When St. Paul’s United Church became known as St. Paul’s Centre a few years ago, Bailey knew he had reached the pinnacle of his music career. As well as still being a church, the 62 Peter St. N. building is now a centre for performing arts, a vital venue for Orillia community organizations.
“I was very much a part of the group of people who were interested to see if we could make some changes in what we now call our great hall,” he said. “We wanted to make it much more viable for the different performing groups, and we’ve been able to do that.”
Turning St. Paul’s into a centre for performing arts was a goal for Bailey over the last 15 years.
“I had seen it done to what was called the sanctuary in major churches in Toronto,” he said. “That’s when I started to think about it, started talking to people here about it, and we made it happen.”
Now that the “final dream” has been achieved, Bailey says he can retire, knowing he accomplished what he set out to do.
In retirement, Bailey will continue to offer private lessons, which he still finds "very fulfilling." He will also continue to work with local musical theatre productions.
“Music is still my passion,” he said.
Bailey’s other passion is his wife, Mayumi, who he’s been married to for over 40 years. He says the couple will now have some more time to travel the world.
“We both really enjoy travelling,” he said. “We’ve had many trips, but I’ve always had to take my time off in the summer because that’s when things slow down here. Now I’m hoping to do some travelling at other times of the year.”
Bailey said he is thankful for the congregation at St. Paul’s for being supportive and appreciative of his work over the years. He also thanks Cellar Singers music director Albert Greer and his own wife for their friendship and support.
St. Paul’s is currently searching for its next director of music, and they will have big shoes to fill, said Minister Ted Reeve.
“Blair has been the musical heartbeat of the congregation for 39 years,” he said. “He’s central to carrying the spiritual and musical life in worship, in esthetic appreciation, and in being in tune to a lot of the artistic sensibilities of the congregation.”
Reeve says Bailey has had a profound sense of empathy for the members of the congregation, an attention to everyone’s well-being, and is very sensitive to families during funerals.
“He is meticulous with details,” he said. “He loves making sure that the visual presentations are right, and the set-up of the hall or sanctuary is esthetically beautiful.”
Reeve says Bailey’s presence at the church will be missed.
“It will be a huge change in terms of the accepted grounding piece of the St. Paul’s culture,” he said.
