Monday, November 16, 2020
in-dis-pens-able
absolutely necessary: essential an indispensable member of the staff
Many words come to mind to describe Marge Magans and her impact on so many of us. Picking just one word to describe her may be close to impossible. She meant so much to us in many ways. To the success of the Irondequoit Chorale, Marge truly was, and is, indispensable. It would take multiple pages to list all she did for our group. Her official title on the board was treasurer, which she did for many years. Her budget reports were meticulous, and she knew exactly where every dollar was going. She was the voice of “fiscal responsibility”, making sure the chorale was financially secure for the present and for the future.
Marge did so much more than the treasurer's duties. She helped create the programs for every concert and printed them, along with printing of out posters. She handled CD and DVD orders of our concerts for our members. Mailings of concert fliers, letters to singers, anything that needed to be sent either by snail mail or electronically she took care of. If there was a vice president of our group Marge was it. Her opinion and honest feedback was valued on all aspects of the chorale.
Marge was one of the most dedicated singers I’ve had the pleasure of directing. She took pride in learning her music, and enjoyed the process of rehearsing toward a successful concert. As a charter member of the chorale, she sang in practically all of our concerts. She and I had countless discussions about the music, particularly after rehearsals. Again, she never hid her honesty about things, and it helped to make me a better conductor. She loved singing with her “front row alto crew” and they became very close friends over the years, but Marge knew and enjoyed everyone in the group.
Marge’s indispensability went far beyond the Chorale. I can recall countless concerts that I was performing in outside the chorale, and Marge seemed to always be there. She was incredibly supportive, whether I sang with another choir or played guitar with a band, she was happy to attend. She frequently watched our children when they were younger, especially being with them during some of my health issues lately. Conversations were never perfunctory, she was genuinely interested and cared about how a person was doing. Rehearsals usually ended with the two of us talking in the parking lot about everything: Chorale, school, our kids, music, and life.
Dedicated, caring, honest, selfless, organized, loyal, giving…. The adjectives to describe Marge are endless. We are all very blessed that she touched our lives in so many ways. She will truly be missed but never forgotten.
