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SSJ Spirit of Courage Honoree

Bruce Morton Wright

In 1969, after satisfying degree requirements at both Gannon University and Mercyhurst College, Bruce Morton Wright was awarded a B.A. in music; Gannon soon chose to eliminate this program from its curriculum, so Bruce holds the distinction of being the sole music major of Erie’s downtown university! Since making local history, Bruce continued his studies, conducted, taught, and performed in the U.S., Europe, and South America. Determined to make music accessible to all, Bruce has organized and directed musicians not only on the grand stages of theaters and concert halls, but more often in community centers, churches, or at parks and school grounds. A careful review of the programs for most of these performances – which are free and open to the public –reveals the inclusion of one particular composition, Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch over Me.” A staple in Wright’s repertoire, this piece may be interpreted as symbolic both of the conductor’s character and courage as well as a representation of his professional mission. In December 2007, however, this melody became particularly significant.

For more than 10 years, December performances of The Nutcracker by the Lake Erie Ballet in conjunction with the Lake Erie Ballet Orchestra have become anticipated traditions of the holiday season. During standard rehearsals in 2007, however, following each practice, Wright experienced gnawing and unrelenting back pain. He relied on pain relievers to lessen the soreness – which he attributed to arthritis – but his wife, Dr. Merja Wright, a local physician, was not convinced. When the pain continued into performance dates, Merja encouraged Bruce to get an exam; when he failed to heed her pleas, Merja, “watching over” her husband, insisted that they both schedule long overdue physicals.

Diagnosis
Following their exams, Bruce was admitted to Hamot Medical Center for further testing. Results indicated that he was suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of cancer of the plasma cells: ultimately, these cells attack an individual’s skeletal system, destroy bone marrow, and produce abnormal proteins which clog the kidneys and lessen one’s immunity. Bruce had continued to associate this pain with arthritis when myeloma was actually the cause; left unchecked, this insidious disease – which progresses by attacking weaknesses in one’s skeletal system – could destroy an individual’s entire frame. Naturally, Bruce’s entire family, including his daughter Anna, a nurse at Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh, was alarmed, but determined to battle this disease. Upon learning the diagnosis, on Monday, Anna contacted the medical staff at Hillman Cancer Center, a progressive treatment institution two blocks from her home. Forwarded Bruce’s results, the staff identified him as a perfect candidate for a clinical study opening the following day: he was motivated and positive, could adhere to the treatment schedule, and was a member of a minority. On Tuesday, Bruce was admitted to the program. On Wednesday, he began six months of weekly treatments to boost his stem cell production in preparation for final therapy in May 2008.

Bruce continued to experience back and arm pain and fatigue. Still, he maintained his schedule as director of the Erie Chamber Orchestra, director of the Lake Erie Ballet Orchestra, music director of Gannon University’s concert band, and instructor of fine arts at Gannon University. He rehearsed and conducted the concerts scheduled for January, February, March, and April while preparing for La Traviata in May. Each Wednesday, regardless of the weather, he and Merja traveled to Pittsburgh for treatments in preparation for the final course of his medical protocol, but since he taught an evening class on Wednesdays, this routine, especially during Erie’s winter months, was trying. One other concern for the family was that Bruce needed to avoid sickness, for contracting an illness would suspend his regimen. Still, Bruce remained optimistic, confident that “prayers matter…they make a difference.” He never complained, and he avoided infections...reprising that favorite song, as many here and above “watched over” him.

New Hope

Finally, as June 22, 2008 dawned, Bruce anticipated the opportunity to begin life anew. Cells would be withdrawn from his body and, after freezing, be infused once more, strengthened in ability to attack the invading cancer cells. Ultimately, the medical staff hoped to amass at least 4,500,000 cells; unfortunately, the procedure netted only four million. To reach the ultimate goal, Bruce underwent the collection process again the following day. This time, the target was surpassed as 5, 500,000 cells were drawn, readying Bruce for the final step in his treatment. Promising new hope and new life, on June 23, 2008, Bruce underwent the infusion process: in just twelve minutes, he received five million newly born stem cells, cells ready to combat the invasive disease discovered six months before. Singing “Happy Birthday,” the hospital staff and Bruce’s entire family celebrated his new hope, new life. In pondering his life and gift, Bruce decided “There’s not one thing different that I’d want to do, except spend a little more time with my family. I’m doing exactly what I want to do.”

The procedure complete, Bruce needed to be monitored for a few days at Hillman before returning to Erie. As he convalesced, he anticipated feeling energized, somehow different, but he noticed no change…at first. Then, two nights later, he awakened, certain that ants were crawling on his arms! Switching on the light and raising the covers, he checked but found no creepy-crawlies. Momentarily, Bruce felt the same sensation in his legs. Again, upon examination, he could not discover a single uninvited “guest.” Talking to the nursing staff, however, he discovered that he needed to welcome these invisible “visitors,” for they were, in fact, his newly adopted stem cells looking to find a home, a dwelling where they’d protect and renew Bruce, their delighted host.
On June 27th, Bruce returned home and resumed his normal schedule, preparing for Music in the Air concerts, as well as attending to his countless duties at Gannon. He continued to experience some fatigue and back pain, and what he claims the worst consequence of his treatment – balding! As follow-up, for five years, Bruce travels to Pittsburgh one day each month for blood tests to monitor his progress. While tedious and trying, especially during the winter months, it’s the family’s new norm – a regimen willingly undertaken in thanks for Bruce’s second chance at life.

Youthful Determination

Certainly, Bruce serves as a model of courage in this fight for his life, but such spirit has been a characteristic Bruce has displayed since adolescence. Growing up in Erie’s inner city neighborhood of West 3rd and Walnut, Bruce showed an interest in music and an enduring manner, traits which led to his early and unexpected introduction to classical performance. As a young man, he helped a neighbor by mowing the lawn and doing odd jobs around the house. A patron of Erie’s Philharmonic Orchestra, annually she purchased two season tickets, but was often unable to attend. Perhaps recognizing Bruce’s interest in music, she “offered” Bruce the tickets she bought each year, actually stating that his job depended on his acceptance! Unwilling to lose his work or the musical opportunity, Bruce called a friend’s mom, and explained the “deal,” recognizing the value the opportunity afforded. As a result, Drew Barry attended the concerts, but only after Drew showed his gratitude in a fist fight and determination that the pair would flip a coin before each concert: the loser could sleep but the winner needed to watch and listen so the duo could discuss the performance with their benefactor! While Bruce agreed to his friend’s demands, he grew to enjoy the music so much that he soon became a willing and watchful concertgoer.

Bruce, as an adolescent, spoke of pain in his legs and also seemed to “waddle” as he walked. After examination, Dr. Paul Layden found that Bruce had grown too fast, preventing the appropriate maturation and meshing of hip bones and sockets. Thus, when Bruce was in eighth grade, he underwent surgery to round off the hip bones and properly seat the bones into their sockets. Enduring a mandatory year’s bed rest and tutoring was very challenging for Bruce, a young man entering Strong Vincent High School that fall, but he recalls gaining incentive when promised a car for his 16th birthday!

Upon graduating from high school, Bruce considered a teaching career, but was torn between a major in math or music. Finally, he decided to work for a year. The months flew by, and as September began, Bruce recalls thumbing through a Gannon catalog on a Tuesday and noticing music among the majors described. After withdrawing money for tuition and books from his savings, he spoke to Gannon president, Monsignor Nash. To matriculate at Gannon at that late date, Msgr. Nash required that Bruce obtain approval from Dr. Scottino, the school’s dean. By Saturday, although Bruce lagged behind the academic calendar and application process, he began his college career. As a music major, his program incorporated classes from both Gannon and Mercyhurst, as neither school offered all of the required courses for this major. In the end, because of compulsory ROTC training offered only at Gannon, even though Bruce had enrolled in courses at both Erie campuses, his degree was awarded by Gannon. Ironically although Gannon offers many opportunities for today’s students to participate in music programs and presentations – under Wright’s direction – the school no longer offers a degree in music. Bruce’s fame as Gannon’s sole degreed music graduate, thus, remains intact!

Adult Challenges

Upon graduation in 1969, Bruce hoped to train as a conductor; still, funding was problematic. Investigating Julliard, he discovered annual costs of $6,000, a hefty sum at that time. Bruce was acquainted with John Gosling, director of the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, and he also knew the director of the Vienna Conservatory of Music. Upon Gosling’s recommendation, Bruce applied to the European school, was accepted – for an annual tuition of a mere $40. – and set off for Austria. In his acceptance as well as in his travels to and arrival in Europe, “Someone to Watch over Me” deserves mention: although Bruce never even considered the necessity of learning to speak German, and although complications led him to arrive a week before lodging at the Conservatory was available, Bruce overcame all problems with the help of gracious residents in the area. He studied in Vienna for four years, served as assistant director of the Vienna Conservatory Orchestra, and conducted concerts in churches and outside. He was awarded his Kapellmeister degree in 1973, learned to speak German, and also met and married Merja, a medical student from Finland, his soul mate.
After performing a concert in Wien, Austria, Bruce received a call from the ambassador to Columbia offering him a post as conductor of Columbia’s Symphony Orchestra. Eagerly, Bruce accepted the position; however, first, he sought tutoring in Spanish! Bruce and Merja, who had spent time visiting her family in Finland and Bruce’s in Erie, faced a barrage of challenges, many more frightening than mastering a new language. First, because the position required Bruce to present himself as a European immigrant, he was compelled to travel from Erie to New York, New York to Paris, Paris to Frankfort, Frankfort to Paris, Paris to Rome, and finally, Rome to Bogotá. Once there, Bruce could well have called upon the lyrics of his favorite song as he found himself surrounded by police, rushed down a long corridor, and finally, pushed into a room filled with camera crews and microphones…for a press conference! Ultimately, Bruce, who served as director of the Bogotá Symphony Orchestra and as director of the Music Academy in Tunja, spent four years in Columbia. After Merja joined her husband, the couple endured some truly painful experiences: Merja hiding in their apartment, watchful as a passing bus had been torched, beggars routinely haunting pedestrians, and punishment upon Bruce’s decision to return to the U.S. in 1978. For six months he was relegated to conducting small orchestra concerts in local churches. Naturally, as the couple planned their return to Erie, both Bruce and Merja, parents then of two young daughters, were hopeful they’d find meaningful employment and tranquility here.

Home

Merja, soon after their return to Erie, began a residency at Hamot Medical Center, and Bruce started working at Erie Bayfront NATO, expanding children’s musical background. He continued to explore the possibilities of making music accessible to all. He invited musicians to the King Center to share his vision that professional musicians present free public concerts in churches, in parks, or on college campuses, venues that would encourage attendance of people from all incomes and neighborhoods. As members of a local musicians’ union, Wright assured instrumentalists they’d be paid for rehearsals and performance. While many performers were skeptical, they shared Wright’s goal. With their agreement and with the support of patrons like Clarence Byers and Greg Gibson, in 1978 the Erie Bayfront Orchestra, now known as the Erie Chamber Orchestra, opened its first season. Currently, the orchestra presents 10 concerts annually including the summer festival Music in the Air. In 1982, further endowments enabled Wright to organize the Erie Opera Theater, which stages two opera productions each season.

Visions realized, Wright enjoys the satisfaction of expanding the arts in Erie; despite the responsibilities of his full-time position at Gannon, he continues to be the Erie Chamber Orchestra’s sole director, fund-raiser, publicist, set and program designer, and payroll chief – duties he embraces as his mission, gladdened especially, by his daughter Nina’s role as a violinist. In meeting his goals, he has faced danger once again: the approach of rival gangs during a performance at the gazebo, and threats posed by a distraught client during a rehearsal at Erie Bayfront NATO. Through all, as Bruce has watched over his dream, clearly, someone has also “watched over” him.
Although Gannon University does not offer a degree in music, students’ interest in this art is recognized and rewarded, the result of an endowment established in 1990. Shaking Wright’s hand in commitment, William Shuster set up an endowment which provides 60 annual $1,000 awards for student musicians. As a result of this agreement, Bruce serves as a proud director of Gannon’s Student Concert Band. Additionally, he directs the Bemus Bay Pops Orchestra, has made guest appearances with the Erie Philharmonic and the State Theater Orchestra of Hildesheim, Germany, and at music festivals in Edinboro, PA and Bear Valley, CA. Finally, Wright has served as a board member and trustee for many local organizations and, in 2000, he completed requirements to attain his MA in Public Administration.

Throughout his life, Bruce Morton Wright has been beset with adversity – challenges of health, finances, education, safety, and more – but regardless of the circumstances, he has responded with optimism and purpose. Perhaps Wright has been inspired by his dad’s belief that “there is no such thing as a problem…only an unfound solution.” Perhaps he’s been motivated by the lyrics of his favorite song or by his mission, to make music easily accessible to all. Whatever the inspiration, Bruce Morton Wright has not only faced and overcome a range of obstacles, but has also courageously, devotedly, and immeasurably enriched the lives of citizens in each community he’s served.