The former, longtime conductor of the Penticton Concert Band has died.
Nadeau is survived by his wife Nathalie Butler who remembered him in a letter sent to the Western News.
“His positive outlook on life reflected his many accomplishments and personal life. His charisma, pride and confidence made everyone feel special, and strive to be better. His positive outlook on life led him to live a full and wonderful life, which he enjoyed fully. He will be sadly missed,” Butler said.
After spending the majority of his career in Eastern Canada, heralding from New Brunswick, Gerald Nadeau first joined the band eight years ago.
It was called the Penticton Academy of Music Community Concert Band at that time, and there were only seven or eight active members. That number has since grown to 35 to 40 members.
During an interview after stepping down as conductor from the band in 2015, Nadeau compared the concert bands he has played in to the game of golf.
“The better you get, the better you want to get, and the better you can get. There’s absolutely no end to it,” Nadeau told the Western News in 2015.
In all of his experiences around the country, he said the heart of music remains constant, the only difference are the people themselves.
“Very warm people in the Okanagan. It takes a few years to get used to; people saying ‘hello,’ to you at a cash register at the grocery store, which does not happen too much in the big city."