Calling the lives of the dynamic husband and wife keyboard team of Ron and Ruth Moir ‘a little peripatetic’ is the understatement of the year!

 

Originally meeting as students at the University of Manitoba, Ron and Ruth’s joint musical journey next took them to England where they acquired a love of performing on 18th Century instruments under the tuition of the eminent recording artist, Joan Davies. Their return to Canada saw them living for a time in Toronto, where they established the Moir Piano Studio and began teaching piano to students of every level. An innate shared love of performance led to the creation of the Moir Pianoforte Duo. The duo’s popular tours have taken them all over North America to the delight of audiences not only in large urban centers like Boston, Vancouver and Montreal, but also small communities such as Chilliwack or Whaletown, BC.

 

Further musical studies in harpsichord and fortepiano were jointly undertaken under full tuition scholarships at Boston University. Ron’s eventual acceptance of a teaching post at Trinity Western University meant relocating to White Rock BC, where they soon reestablished their successful Moir Piano Studio. As Southwestern Ontario and the Toronto region have long been a main focus for their performance tours, Ron and Ruth have now chosen to settle in the centrally located cultural hub of Stratford.

 

The Moir’s residence and home studio are as open and welcoming as the couple themselves. A sunny front room makes the most of an antique stained-glass panel from an old church, the dappled colours playing on the surface of the fine concert grand piano that dominates the space. Overseeing their students’ progress from one corner, a grumpy bust of Ludwig Van Beethoven sports a black Victorian funeral hat perched at a jaunty angle. Such touches of humour are evident throughout. Ron and Ruth both take their classical musical instruction very seriously, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t often employ a fun-loving approach. There is nothing stuffy or uptight to be found under their roof … or in their effervescent personalities.

 

The downstairs 1000 square foot studio space is a wondrous world unto itself. Dramatic lighting, clusters of antique furniture and framed 18th Century prints, and lush oriental carpets all lend an Old World Victorian sensibility to what would be a mere rec room in any other suburban house. Concrete walls — theatrically accented with deep red paint — ensure excellent acoustics for their prized collection of magnificent keyboard instruments placed about on the polished concrete floors. The pair of fortepianos on which they perform their musical tours nestle side-by-side and take central pride of place. These are copies of Stein instruments, circa 1785-1790: the sort of keyboard Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself would have played upon. Ron actually built one of these authentic fortepianos with his own fair hands! In addition to a lovely delicate clavichord against a far wall, a gloriously decorated copy of a Flemish harpsichord dazzles the senses. Built in 1995 by their dear friend David Jensen — a renowned maker of period keyboards — the case alone is a work of art. On a background of deep green, the harpsichord is decorated in true period style with black and cream paper inserts festooned with fanciful seahorses, curlicues and gold accents. The raised cover bears a stencil of the evocative Latin motto ‘Per aures ad animum’ which translates as ‘Through the ears to the soul’.

 

Laughter rings throughout the studio as Ron and Ruth animatedly share tales from their tours and juicy gossip about the lives of the Great Composers. On the road, they have been at the mercy of the elements and wildlife on seemingly countless occasions: raccoons had to be chased out of the recital hall before a performance on Cortes Island in BC, and the conclusion of a show in Berkeley, California was interrupted by a swarm of bats! Both the Moirs and their pianofortes have endured extreme weather conditions but that has never dampened their exuberance or indeed the enthusiasm of their audience.

 

Sitting on a piano bench beside Ron, Ruth laughs. “One year in Boston, a huge storm brought high winds, ominous dark green skies, and dumped six inches of water on the streets. Buckets had to be set out to catch the leaks from the roof of Emmanuel Church where we were performing.”

 

Ron chimes in: “Since it looked like a tornado was about to hit, we thought nobody would be there… but the entire audience of eighty showed up.”

 

“And then there was that memorable sou’wester’storm in Ilwaco, Washington. Absolute torrents of rain! To top things off, the door of the van—used to transport the instruments and ourselves back home—had a door blown clean off by the wind!”

 

“Needless to say there were a few delays getting home to BC.”

 

Surely there will be finer weather (and fewer wild animals) when the Moir Duo presents their first Stratford home concert on the afternoon of Sunday, October 27th, 2013. Repertoire will include works by 18th Century composers Clementi, Mozart, Haydn, and even a bit of Bach. Refreshments will be served, and lively anecdotes about the composers will be shared. Be sure to ask to see their intriguing vintage photo of Johannes Brahms cozying up to a mysterious (and buxom) young lady. The old rogue sure has a twinkle in his eye!

 

For more information about the concert or music lessons, please contact the Moir Piano Studio at 519-508-8012 and be sure to visit their website.