A veteran, universally beloved figure on the local music scene, Alden Gilchrist, 83, died Monday evening after a series of illnesses he suffered during the past 18 months.
Associated with Calvary Presbyterian Church since 1951, Gilchrist was a graduate student at UC Berkeley when he became the church's organist.
He soon took over as director of music, leading a concert series, overseeing choral music, initiating community programs.
In 2011, he was honored with a concert featuring some of his own compositions as well as music by Mozart, Dvorák, Monteverdi, and Bach. Kent Nagano, who had sung in Gilchrist's chorus as a student, flew to San Francisco on a one-day visit to conduct the concert.
The next issue of Music News will have responses to Gilchrist's life and death.