Memorial service set for Strand booster Sean Roberts

Sean Roberts, left, Jones Hill resident and founder of the Strand Project of the Boston Classical Orchestra, would personally meet each bus of students to usher them into the classical music concerts. Photo courtesy City of Boston

On January 14, Dorchester neighbors and arts figures from greater Boston will gather in Uphams Corner to bid a belated farewell to the late arts administrator and advocate Sean Roberts and to help carry on his quiet crusade to make classical music accessible to all, especially children.

The 61-year-old Roberts, Executive Director of the Boston Classical Orchestra (BCO), died at his Jones Hill home on Sept. 12. Diagnosed with Stage IV kidney cancer in February of last year, he surprised doctors at Dana Farber by rebounding strongly after the removal of a 4 ½ pound tumor. Even so, his health fluctuated throughout 2011; “it was a roller coaster seven months,” recalls his longtime partner, Andrea Kunst, Executive Director of the Dorchester Arts Collaborative.

In late summer, Roberts had said that he felt better than he had in years, making his sudden passing a shock to loved ones, who have waited to recover emotionally themselves and to let the holidays pass before arranging a memorial. The family is inviting the public to a Sat., Jan. 14 ceremony at 1 p.m. at St Mary’s Episcopal Church, 14 Cushing Ave. Since there was never a formal funeral, Rev. Frank Fornaro, interim priest at St Mary’s, notes that the service “will be very similar to a funeral.” Friends and colleagues are invited to reminisce at the more informal and social celebration of his life that will follow at the nearby Roberts-Kunst home.

Roberts graduated from the UMass Boston with a BA in Philosophy, English, and Music. Before joining BCO in 2007 to oversee the daily administration of the orchestra, he co-founded and acted as General Manager of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he held from 1979 to 1992.

While at BCO he created the Strand Project, a highly praised initiative to use the Uphams Corner facility to host children’s concerts in the spring and family concerts during the holiday season.

“Sean’s passionate dedication to BCO in particular, and to bringing live orchestral music to every Bostonian he could reach in general, was inspiring and enlivening,” recalls BCO Music Director Steven Lipsitt.

The BCO’s Sept.24 season opener at Faneuil Hall was dedicated to Roberts’ memory. He was also remembered at the Dec. 12 Strand Project performance, hosted by family friend Kim McLarin of WGBH-TV’s “Basic Black.”

The concert featured appearances by the Ashmont-based Boston City Singers and violin students from the Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy under the direction of Mary Swanton, director of fine arts. Swanton remembers the “vivacious passion for music and people” of the man she was proud to call “mentor, advocate, and friend.”

“He loved Dorchester. Having the opportunity to bring excellence in classical music to a historic venue while including local children was so important to Sean. He knew every detail, was there when each bus arrived and welcomed every child at the door. Our students loved when he requested that they perform with the Boston Classical Orchestra. At our last concert we all sang and played ‘Amazing Grace’ for Sean. He had the most amazing grace of all.”

Christopher Cook, Acting Director of the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events, concurs.
“I will always associate Sean with joy, the joy on the kids’ faces as they performed on a big stage with a professional orchestra. The Strand is a different place because of him,” said Cook.

Roberrs believed that “music was a part of everyone’s soul, though in some cases that love of music was still waiting to be awakened,” says Andrea Kunst.

“When we moved here from the suburbs, he had the typical misconceptions about Dorchester, but once we settled here he truly embraced the neighborhood and knew that this was where he belonged. Since we happen to live right behind the Strand, he discovered it as an underutilized facility where he could share with neighbors his passion for all kinds of music. He was happy to be a natural bridge between two worlds.”

Kunst is working with the BCO to raise funds to insure that Strand Project continues. To help that effort, contact her at akunst@comcast.net.