Help Jim Turner Recover From Fire Damage

For 22 years, from 1995 to 2017, Jim Turner was the Artistic Director of the Kalamazoo Bach Festival (now known as Kalamazoo Choral Arts). Over those years, he brought wonderful choral music to the Kalamazoo College community and to the broader community of the Kalamazoo region. During Bach Festival week in the Spring, a number of musical events would culminate in a major work such as the Bach B-minor Mass or Brahms’ German Requiem. An annual Holiday Concert in Stetson Chapel featured old favorites and works by Poulenc, Franz Biebl, Benjamin Britten and so many others. This concert defined the season for audience members who returned year after year.

Those of us who sang with him remember his warmth and sense of humor, along with his determination to get the best possible sound out of the choir. We are better singers today for the experience of singing with him.

On August 24, a fire broke out on the roof of his apartment building. His apartment was not burned, but a flood of water and the chemicals used in firefighting ruined almost all of his furniture, his significant collection of houseplants, and many other belongings. Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, he did not have renter’s insurance. He is currently living in a furnished apartment. Jim will use your generous donations to help furnish a new apartment, replace other necessities and pay for moving costs so that he can overcome the trauma of this experience and continue enjoying his retirement.