For those who have not yet heard:
Bill Ochs, music scholar, piper, teacher, and mentor to many, passed away yesterday morning following a battle with cancer. The music community is much the poorer for his loss.
He was my first pipe teacher.
This is truly awful. I am crushed.
May God grant him eternal memory and be with Margaret at this very sad time.
Bill was my regular teacher for the past ten years or so. I saw him as not only a great teacher, but a great source of wisdom. He will be sorely missed. This is horrible news.
Such sad news.
I’m proud to have been one of his students. He was a kind, patient, generous teacher and we won’t see his like again any time soon.
I only met Bill once, but he left a lasting impression.
It was 20+ years ago at Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Center. I’d been learning pipes about a year or two. Bill was incredibly generous and supportive, sharing his knowledge and advice over the course of the week with myself and others. He was also the first person I ever saw with Taylor pipes, and I have always attributed my love of Taylor and Taylor-style pipes to meeting him (and John Walsh) that week.
Codladh sámh.
Nice photo. I hope that they’re now able to enjoy a few tunes together.
Damn. My first piping instructor, I’ll never forget those walks through Hell’s Kitchen to his apartment, and “ringing the bell” by calling him from the corner pay phone!
I have a box full of cassette recordings of our lessons, and Bill was constantly providing bootlegs of important pipers and piping tunes. He taught me how to listen!!
JVF
He was my whistle teacher for three months in 2013, until I moved away from the NYC area, and he was my wife’s flute teacher up until he had to end teaching this summer. I’ve met few people as warm and as generous with time and attention. He was a friend, and my life is better for having known him.
Bill and I used to laugh and say the we were the best pipers and reed makers in New England
…of course we were, at the time, the only pipers in New England. Bill’s good humor and friendship, will sorely be missed.
Pat Sky
I only knew him through his whistle tutorial, but this is indeed sad.
I didn,t know Bill ,but I know what its like to lose an old friend . I empathize with all who knew him,and I hope the good memories soon replace your sadness.
RORY
Oh, Peter, that photo made tears spring to my eyes - it’s wonderful! Bill was such a friend to all pipers and whistlers (he was a fine flute player, too!); always there with an encouraging word. He gave his life to this music and to sharing it with others - we’d be so much less here in the States without him. Friends tell me he passed peacefully, surrounded by family and listening to Micho Russell recordings on a laptop.
I’m sure there will be some wonderful stories and tributes at the Northeast Tionol this weekend - I’ll be thinking of Bill and his family for sure as his friends and admirers celebrate his life and many contributions. <3 Cheers, Bill, and thank you for everything. Especially the encouragement! <3
What a wonderful teacher and person in general. Really created a deep love, honor, and passion for Irish traditional music. Mentored me through my graduate thesis and his wisdom can be heard throughout. Prayers to his family.
Margaret has organised a memorial service which, for those of you who haven’t heard, will take place on the 22nd of Aprill, All Souls Unitarian Church in Manhattan at 1.30.