Kathy Paxton Williams
My first encounter with Betsy was actually with her husband Mark, who directed the Revels Spring Community Chorus in 2019. Mark said something like, that while Betsy was involved in Revels in the Fall, he did the primary parenting and managing of the household, but now that Revels was over, they traded places, so... thanks, Betsy!
Once I was in Revels itself, I noticed that Betsy appeared all over the place, at rehearsals AND at dance rehearsals, accompanying us or letting us know when we had gone off key (ouch!), giving advice, and generally just being a joy to be around. At some point, after my terror of joining the illustrious Revels had subsided somewhat, I really started to pay attention to her playing and discovered what a master she was. During the "Ghosts of Haddon Hall" performance, I realized what a privilege it was to be able to listen to the musical interlude which she led every night. Wonderful!
Before I joined Revels, I was an occasional audience member. As i had participated in my college chorus, I noticed Robert onstage and figured out that he was likely the director. When I finally did audition for Revels, it was a bit of a fan-girl experience to meet Robert, something along the lines of, "Ohmigosh! It's HIM!" (but only out of respect, not then teeny-bopper crush type of fangirl).
Over the past few years, it has been wonderful, challenging, inspiring, and occasionally terrifying to work with Robert. It is amazing how he managed to shape us from that first raggedy run-through to the final, polished performances. He welcomed us all in his home, treated us like family, and thus, we are a family. I will miss working with him.
