On August 18, a local journalist referred to him as "The Voice of God."
On Saturday evening, Harry Morrison -- one of Columbia's best-loved citizens and most inspirational teachers -- passed away after a valiant battle against pancreatic cancer. He was 82.
I didn't know Harry well, though I had met him soon after my arrival at Stephens. But his reputation and his commitment to music -- from the Missouri Symphony Society to the University of Missouri's Music School to his countless voice students at Stephens -- was legend.
Our community celebrated Harry in August, coming together to entertain and be inspired -- once again -- by him.
Here's what Bill Clark wrote about that lovely event (with thanks to the Columbia Tribune):
The “Voice of God,” at age 82, remains strong, vibrant, full and powerful. Oh sure, even the Voice of God might not reach the occasional high note, but no one notices when it is accompanies by the strength and enthusiasm of a singer 60 years younger.
“The Voice of God?” Harry Morrison!
For 50 years, Harry has been a voice teacher at the University of Missouri and Stephens College and a mentor for hundreds of singers of all ages, genders and interests who have passed through his private studio. His voice has been heard often in local theatrical productions from kids’ show to opera — a booming, deep voice also heard and never forgotten as a director.
A native of the southeast Iowa community of Keosauqua, he misses few musical and theatrical performances in our town. ’Twas in the spring after a Metropolitan performance on the big screen at Forum 8 Theatre that Harry mentioned in passing he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With that announcement, he went on with his daily schedule, adding a few rounds of chemotherapy but always there to enjoy whatever was on stage.
On Sunday afternoon in Stephens College’s Senior Hall, Harry was on stage as the honored guest, not allowed to be usual silent observer and occasional critic.
Jill Womack, one of his students from a quarter-century ago and the artistic director of TRYPS, one of Columbia’s two youth theater programs, called a group of Harry’s friends, peers and former students for an afternoon honoring “The Voice of God,” which he had actually been in a TRYPS play a few years ago.
Before Harry took the stage to sing ands swap stories with all, he was serenaded by seven who had been as much a part of Harry’s life as he had been of theirs.
Trent Rash, Sydney Ringdahl and Ellen Tucker Thieme were recent students who sang Harry’s favorite Broadway tunes. Jennifer Black Cone brought down the house before joining with Curtis Shaw for a duet from “Pippin,” telling how she and Harry discovered they both enjoyed a good off-color story and had contests to see who could tell the best one.
Mike Straw, who was a Morrison student and now has a huge private voice studio of his own, sang “When I Was a Lad” from “H.M.S. Pinafore” and had Harry direct the audience during each chorus. Tom Andes did a jazz medley from “Kiss Me, Kate” on the piano, which brought a comment from Harry, not a great jazz fan: “I actually recognized a couple of the tunes.”
Pan Ellsworth Smith, the voice teacher at Stephens, closed the preliminaries with a love song by Richard Strauss, then the Voice of God came to the stage.
Helped to the piano by three of his daughters, he introduced Kelly Archer, Harry’s longtime accompanist at MU and Stephens, then announced, “You’re not getting off with just one song from me.”
The chemotherapy has made walking a bit unsteady, but Harry didn’t need to walk to sing.
Harry was never better than in his first number — a Scottish folk song. Then came “Home on the Range” and a closing aria from Mozart’s “Magic Flute.” The standing ovation was tremendous — and deserved.
Afterward, Harry admitted he had been working to master the accordion, and when he is reasonably successful, he plans to play it and sing under Irene Haskins’ bedroom window.
Harry also agreed to help the Missouri Theatre by appearing in Sutu Forte’s “Vaude Squad No. 2” in November.
In the works will be a duet matching Harry with Irene, also an octogenarian and cancer survivor and the Tribune’s humor columnist. With Sutu on the piano and Jake Clayton’s fiddle as accompaniment, vaudeville can’t get any better.
The community owes Jill Womack a debt of gratitude for giving us this afternoon with one of Columbia’s all-time theatrical treasures — Harry Morrison, “The Voice of God.”
Harry will be missed -- not only by the students he instructed but by the colleagues and friends he inspired. He was, indeed, a Columbia treasure.
Comments