Special Dedication

	Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted This concert is dedicated to the memory of Erin Frances Konrad July 24, 1969 – February 24, 1989

Erin Frances Konrad was born to Daniel and Rosanna Konrad on July 24, 1969 in a bush hospital in Zaire, Africa where her parents were missionaries. Her family also included a sister, Laurel, and two brothers, Alan and Nathan. Erin followed her family’s example of strong spiritual commitment and dedication to Christian values. She has been described as being self-motivated, responsible, polite, patient, quiet, fun loving, a good friend to others, and having “intellectual humility.” She was blessed with musical talents. She loved to sing and recorded some small vocal ensemble works. She played piano, flute and saxophone. She was a student at Columbia Bible College where she achieved high academic standards and cultivated a fulfilling social and spiritual life.

On Friday night, February 24, 1989, enroute to her home in Prince George, she and her special friend Peter Friesen died instantly when their car slid into a semi-trailer truck.

“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” So begins Ein Deutsches Requiem, as penned by Johannes Brahms in 1865, as he reflected upon his own life experiences and upon the text of Martin Luther’s German Bible. Today, many years later, Dan and Rosanna Konrad share much of the same emotion and perspective as they dedicate the German Requiem to the memory of their daughter Erin Frances…
Throughout both Brahms’ composition and Erin’s life, subtle streams of spirituality wound their way among notes and words, and moved within experiences and emotions. As Erin’s life progressed, so too did the maturity of her relationships, the expression of her musical gifts, and the depth of her convictions. From the adventure of her birth in an African bush hospital, to the success of her academic experiences in Canada, Erin’s life was full of meaning and hope. Hope that was not superficial and naïve, but rather hope that was grounded in eternity. Traces of that hope could be seen in 1865. And, that same hope is what the Konrad family would like you to discover today as you experience Brahms’ German Requiem.
- Mark Wessner, friend of the family