I had the fortune to work with James Avery in the spring of ‘08 playing some student compositions at UB (SUNY Buffalo). I have only fond memories of my, albeit brief, work with him — his attentiveness to detail and musicality was quite lovely, not to mention his calm, warm personality.
That same year I performed a piece at the June In Buffalo festival (also at UB), where James and some members of his ensemble, Ensemble Surplus, were in residency. It was nice to see him again around the festival, to hear him conduct Surplus as well as a play “Any Resemblance is Only Coincidental” by Charles Dodge, and to have some coffee in the sunny, Buffalo afternoon with he and his wife, and the bassist from Surplus. He invited me to visit him in Freiburg if I had time to spare while in Lucerne this past summer, a trip I very much wish I was able to make now. A friend posted a link to a German newspaper’s obituary which has many kind words.
Sending thoughts to those close to him…
