The following remembrance was written by Dana Paul Perna, Recording Secretary Emeritus of Percy Grainger America and the International Percy Grainger Society, forerunners of today’s Percy Grainger Society. Dana’s long service includes interviewing many important voices in the Society’s history, preserving their stories and perspectives for future generations. His oral history interviews are available here. Dana is also an Adjunct Professor of Music in the Mike Curb College of Music, Entertainment and Art at Daytona State College’s Flagler/Palm Coast Campus, and the host, writer, and producer of the "Dana Paul Perna Power Hour," a radio program hosted/archived online via Moog-1 Radio.   

It is with a great deal of sadness that I learned of the passing of Keith Brion.

There is much I have to express in terms of personal appreciation with regard to him.

Before I became more fully involved with Percy Grainger in any manner, I was still living in Illinois. One afternoon, I went to visit John P. Paynter at his office, during which he asked me how interested in Grainger I was - already knowing that I was, but there’s more to that….yet let’s move on, keeping to the subject at hand. He took out a piece of paper, wrote down a name and phone number telling me to call this person. That person was Keith Brion, who, as soon as I arrived back to my apartment, I did. We spoke for about a-half-an-hour before he told me to contact Stewart Manville, which I also proceeded to do once Keith had provided me with Stewart’s phone number……and, unless you have not figured it out by this point, you know the history that followed.

What did follow first was Stewart inviting me to visit him at Percy’s house, which I did on December 28th. The reason I remember that? One of the first things out of my mouth, past Stewart and I introducing ourselves to each other was: “So nice to meet you on Ravel and Hindemith’s death day.” That took some of the wind out of Percy’s hallway! Of course, that led to become among the most significant relationships of my life thereafter. It was not until later that coming Fall when Stewart asked me if I would like to attend a meeting of the International Percy Grainger Society that was held at 7 Cromwell Place, White Plains, New York - yeah, you all know the place! During that meeting, and excluding Stewart and Don Gillespie, both of whom I had met by then, for the first time I met Manuel Tarshish, Lucinda Hess, Viola and Anders Stromberg, Dr. David Josephson, Mark N. Grant, Rolf Kristian Stang, Inez Bull, and Keith Brion - to whom I directly expressed my thanks for having provided the key that unlocked, unbeknownst to me, a door to what would prove to become a significant part of my life’s work. From that point onward, I do not think Keith ever knew quite what to make of me past my devotion to Percy that, in the end, was all that mutually mattered anyway.

In terms of Mr. Brion, I had the opportunity to see him conduct, usually in a guest appearance situation since, by then, he was not holding any permanent conducting posts. No, I did not see him conduct his “New Sousa Band” in an actual live performance, only on television, but I did see him conduct the Goldman Band on an evening on which Morton Gould appeared to conduct a couple of his compositions on the same program…..and yes, I still possess several of his commercial recordings. The most extended concert on which I saw the Maestro conduct was an all-Grainger orchestral and choral concert by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois that was attended by Stewart Manville, Grainger’s biographer John Bird, Alan Stout, Peter Aglinskas and David Amram - certainly a concert among concerts devoted solely to Perk’s music if one were ever presented. Additionally, Keith provided me tapes of certain Grainger items he had performed that I had edited before they reached publication, proving very helpful. He also gave me advice with regard to a notation relating to a march I had written (for band) that, while I took it to heart, by the time I had completely overhauled it, the spots where I was to heed his advice perished amidst its editorial process. Still, I remain grateful that he took the time to impart his expertise to me in a constructive manner. That underscores what an observant musician - and specifically editor - he was, as we know from all his devoted editorial work with relation to John Philip Sousa (and Grainger, of course).

If it had not been for Keith, I would not have gotten the opportunity to write booklet notes for recordings - the first time I had worked in such a capacity - for the all-Grainger release “To The Fore” that appeared on the Delos label. It would appear that Keith and I were Associates united and brought together to serve Percy Grainger, pure and simple. That observation states fact. The results between our collective work shall continue to endure far more than our personalities preceding them ever will. Besides, in terms of our efforts, in the end, the ramifications of those results reverberate and remain. That was our goal, meaning that we accomplished what we had set out to achieve.

The last time I saw Keith was at a Board meeting that (I believe) was in 2012 (?), but it could have been at a later one that I would have had to fly up for - 2014 or 2016 also come to mind for some reason. While I attempted to make contact during and after the COVID-19 shutdown to secure his “Oral History” for the Percy Grainger Society archives, I had learned from a family member of his that Keith’s mental capacity was not what it once was. After a while, due to my own situation, I just had to move on, getting the news, as did everyone that the Maestro had passed away. Sorry I was not given the opportunity to say a proper “goodbye”, but how often does one get a chance to do so, even with members of ones’ immediate family? In conclusion, and even though he can no longer receive this himself, I still want to express my thanks, gratitude and appreciation to Keith Brion for having provided me with Stewart’s phone number. For that simple act alone, yet-and-including everything else that followed, I shall remain eternally grateful. It shall always remain my honor to have known him.