We Have Lost a Force for Beautiful Music in Hawaii. Here's a Tribute to Beebe Freitas As Well As a Video Profile of Her from a Few Years Back
We have lost a force for beautiful music in Hawaii. Here's a tribute to Beebe Freitas as well as a video profile of her from a few years back. Sending love and aloha to Roslyn, John and their family. Musical icon Beebe Freitas dead at 79 One of Hawaii’s beloved musical icons, Beebe Freitas, a gifted accompanist, pianist, organist, vocal coach and educator, died Saturday at the age of 79. Working with thousands of performers privately and on stage for more than five decades, she is best known in the islands for rehearsing and coaching soloists and choruses as the head of music for Hawaii Opera Theatre and for being the lead organist for more than 40 years at both First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu and Punahou School. Freitas died at her East Oahu home Saturday, Feb. 17, with her daughter Roslyn Freitas Catracchia at her side, along with longtime family friend Dr. Don Fancher and her caregivers. Freitas was hospitalized on and off over the last year and a half with various medical conditions, including congestive heart failure and diverticulitis. In spite of being near death in the hospital several times last year, she returned to Punahou School and First Presbyterian Church to continue playing the piano for worship services from July until mid-December. During one hospitalization, she told her doctor “You have to have me out by Sunday,” so she could return to church to play, which she did. “When John and I were kids, it was just ‘normal’ for us to have our mom walk across the street to Aina Haina Elementary School to play for our Christmas pageants, May Day programs and other events,” said Catracchia, the director of worship and performing arts at First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, who is also a music director, vocal coach, composer and lyricist.
[Show full text]