Raymond Hall

presenting a very special giving opportunity

In recognition of NMH’s historically rich music program and tradition of excellent teaching, the board of trustees has announced that the spectacular 225-seat concert hall in the new Rhodes Arts Center will be named in honor of former music teacher and choral director Albert R. Raymond and his wife, Virginia B. Raymond, a voice and Latin teacher at NMH.

Al Raymond, who taught and directed choral music at both Northfield and Mount Hermon for 30 years, is considered a legend by many alumni who attended the schools between 1943 and 1973. A perfectionist who encouraged his students to reach for their best, Raymond won prestigious awards for his teaching abilities but always deflected praise to his students. In turn, many of his former students say Raymond influenced their lives more than any other teacher, not only by bringing a love of music into their lives, but also by teaching them confidence, respect, and compassion.

NMH invites alumni and friends of the school to honor the Raymonds by making a gift to the Raymond Hall fund. Patricia Johnstone LaCrosse ’53, inspired by a recent collaboration to name the art center’s rehearsal hall in honor of current choral director Sheila Heffernon, has made a generous donation to spearhead this fundraising project. Those who knew the Raymonds as teachers, mentors, and friends, or who otherwise support the music and arts programs at NMH, are encouraged to participate. Donors’ names will be listed on a plaque displayed in the concert hall. For more information, contact Director of Advancement Initiatives Bill Rowe ’83 at (413) 498-3601 or browe@nmhschool.org.

To make a donation to the Raymond Hall, click here.
Note that gifts to support this special project are considered capital gifts separate from the NMH Annual Fund.

Word of remembrance

• Patricia Johnstone LaCrosse ’53

I encourage every alum who ever came under Mr. Raymond’s spell to give a gift to NMH for the Raymond Hall. What a glorious chance to remember the love we had for him and to remember how he forever changed our lives.

When I was a student, we ALL sang sacred music, either in the daily chapel services or as part of the special choruses. Listening to old CDs of Christmas Vespers brings back images of Mr. Raymond’s gentle face, smiling, arms outstretched, urging splendid sounds from his young singers. We should all be grateful and proud that the arts, particularly music, are and will always be an integral part of life at NMH.

• Sheila Raymond Hazen ’60, daughter of Albert and Virginia Raymond

 

One of my earliest memories is of my father seated by himself at the dining room practicing his  conducting. My mother told me that I used to refer to this as "throwing his arms away." My father was a very modest and humble man; he did not have the usual personality of a conductor.

One of the many wonderful letters I received after his death was from a Hermonite of my era, who wrote that my father got the results he wanted not through fear but through the respect for his singers. And those results were amazing. A close friend of mine who is a retired high school choir director recently remarked when she heard a CD of the 1954 Christmas Vespers that the tone of the singing was excellent; she had difficulty believing the singers were of high school age.

Although I think my dad initially would have been embarrassed at the naming of the concert hall, he really would have been pleased and glad to know that my mother's name is included. He always wanted to give credit and thanks to her. I'm pleased, too. It is a lovely way to remember a man--and a woman--who spent nearly 30 productive years giving their talents and time to Northfield Mount Hermon.

• David S. Powell ’48

Al Raymond played a very significant role in my life. Having had the privilege to sing under his leadership, I learned the fundamentals of choral singing, the importance of the text to the accuracy and the shading of the notes. I was introduced to some of the masterpieces in the religious repertoire which gave me as much  a feeling of the Christian spirit as I received in the classroom or chapel.

In addition to this spiritual contribution to my life, I also had fun singing under Al's guidance in other musical environments. Who can ever forget the enjoyment of our Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe and Pirates of Penzance productions in the Auditorium in the late forties! With the foundation Al built for me, I had the confidence to continue singing in college with the Yale Glee Club and Yale Whiffenpoofs. Choral singing has been a lifetime avocation and pleasure for me, the foundation for which I owe to Al Raymond.

I am so pleased he and Ginny will be honored in such an appropriate way: the Raymond Hall in the Rhodes Arts Center! NMH has been twice blessed. In the last 28 years under the leadership of Sheila Heffernon, the choral program has blossomed and is as strong as ever. Our school is fortunate to have had two such gifted and excellent teachers on our faculty to nurture the musical traditions at NMH.

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