vf Choral concert premieres on eve of Xi International Conference on AIDS STORIES BY LAYNE CHRISTENSEN Community Reportar AT first glance, Umeeda Switlo and Andrew Hiscox appear to have little in com- mon. ° Switlo, with her unruly mop of hair and colorful dress, is a free spirit. Well known in North Vancouver District for her out- spokenness on a range of issues, she is also the high- powered president of Community Box. Offices (CBO). Hiscox, in pressed pants and loafers, is a study in conservatism. A tinge of grey at his temples, he looks every bit the part of the well-respected urban planner he is. But they share more than their appearances could reveal. Both have lust a partner to AIDS. Switlo’s husband,. CBO founder and concert promoter Gary. Switlo succumbed to the disease in April ’92. Hiscox’s partner, Dr, Peter Jepson-Young, died seven months later, in November. Though the two men never met, they knew of one another. Switlo regularly viewed Dr. Peter's Oscar-nominated AIDS DR. Peter Jepson Young... human teed the diceasa. diaries which, over a two year period, aired weekly on CBC TV. Jepson- Young was a music lover who, Hiscox is sure, knew of the colorful concert promoter who brought acts like Chicago, Three Dog Night and The Who to town. What brings Switlo and Hiscox together on the patio of Switlo's Upper Lonsdale her- itage home on this particular sunny afternoon is their involve- ment with the Dr. Peter AIDS - Foundation, set up shortly before Sepson- Young's - death, _ Switlo has taken on an ambitious pro- ject, the production of a benefit concert, Earthprayers. Hiscox is here to lend his support. ~ The large-scale operatic work, host- ed by West Van singer Ann Mortifee, will highlight the tal- ents of Metropolitan opera star Judith Forst and Broadway performer Brent Carver. A 60- piece orchestra under the direc- tion of David Agler, and the combined 130 voices of the’ Vancouver Bach Choir, Elektra Women's Choir, Chor Leoni Men's Choir and Vancouver Men's Chorus will be their accompaniment. Jepsun-Young’s _ parents, Edgemont-area residents Bob Tapestry HARVEY laps and Shirley Young, will be guests of honor. Composed by Salt Spring Island resident Bruce Ruddell, Eanhprayers premieres at the Orpheum Saturday, July 6 — the eve of the XI International Conference on AIDS. Hiscox ' says it’s a good fit. “One of the themes of the conference is ‘one world, one hope,’” he notes, ‘“Earthprayers works well with it.” Switlo has been working out the. details for months. “We did- n’t take on an easy one,” she says with a laugh. ' Soloists, choirs and orchestra have been rehearsing separately for weeks. Two nights before the event they will come together for their first full rehearsal, The effect, say Switlo and Hiscox, who have both attended rehearsals, should be inspiring _and life affirming. “I think that it’s going to be a real soul-cleanser,” says Hiscox, _ joking, “No one will need to go- to & therapist for months.” But in seriousness, he adds that the real aim of the conceit is to. help bring the foundation closer to its main goal, the estab- lishment of the Dr. Peter Centre, a day centre and hospice fer peu- ple with advanced HIV or AIDS. To be located in Vancouver, it Sunday, June 30, 1996 — North $ Shore News —41 NEWS photos Mike Waketioid up the affections of Umeeda Switlo, who lost her husband to AIDS, and Andrew Hiscox, who now cares for the seeing eye dog of his former partner, Dr. Peter Jenson-Young. would be the first of its kind in. Canada, providing social and medical support for persons liv- ing with ALDS as well as respite for the caregiver, The centre would provide the kind of service that Switlo says . she could have used when caring for her husband. “Gary had CMV retinitis (an AIDS-related infection that causes blindness) and required... twice daily IV treatments at St. Paui’s Hospital, two hours in the. morning and two hours - at night,” she explains, “That was . six hours every day, including - travelling time, and four trips — across the bridge.” “It would have been incredi- ble to leave hima in a place where he could have his treatment and know he was well looked after,” says Switlo, who at the time was also caring for the couple's four- year-old daughter Nareena. : The centre would also be a fitting tribute to Dr. Peter who, as doctor and patient, put a human face on the deadly disease. “I think he would be thrilled . with what has come out of this,”. says Hiscox. “It matches with his profession.” Earthprayers premieres at the Orpheum on July 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30, $45 and $75 through CBO at 280-2801. preserves memory of AIDS diarist Dr. Peter ANTHEA Mallinson (foreground) and Jane MacKenzie’ weave a4. story into the. AIDS _ Community Tapestry at Vancouver Public Library. THE weavers of the AIDS Community Tapestry Project didn’t know Dr. Peter but they preserve his spirit as they weave his words into their design. “\.from these clements I have come and to these elements I shall return, ...the energy that is me will not be lost.,” are the final lines of the AIDS diarist’s Affirnation, a spiritual composition that he shared with his television audi- ence, The words are also central to the design of the tapestry, current- ly taking shape on the sixth floor of the Vancouver Public Library. Eventually the images of sea, sky and earth, and the face of the Green Man, a New Age symbol of regencration, will emerge, but for now the tapestry is just a skeleton. When it is finished it will hang in the Dr. Peter Centre, a proposed day centre and hospice for people infected with HIV and AIDS. Its creators are members of the B.C. STARS, a society of tapestry artists. Its project manager is West Van's Anthea Mallinson, who is an instructor with Capilano College's textile arts program and whose tapestry Mother and Child hangs at the West ‘Vancouver Memorial Library. Five women form the core group of weavers. Jane MacKenzie, Laura. Townend, Barbara Heller and Alison Keenan join Mallinson at the loom most days, during library hours. Interest in the project. which coincides with the XI International Conference on AIDS, is growing. says Mallinson, who receives calls daily from weavers offering to lend their skill. One woman will travel from Oregon. Another is coming from Japan, just to work on the project. Two visitors from Nairobi, in tower for the conference, also want to “learn and work,” says Mallinson. Novices are also encouraged to join in. “We're inviting the public to just sit down and see what it's like to tap a bobbin,” says Mallinson, - her fingers deftly working the loom. She is there Tuesdays, with the exception of July 6, to give hands-on demonstrations Between | Hl am. and 2 pam. Or people can just drop by for information, } If you ask, she'll tell you that dyes the wool in a stainless. steel milking bucket on a hot plate in her backyard. Or that the loom’s. ° 4-inch steel frame is actually con- truction scaffolding. Or that on iverag it takes 30 hours. for one weaver to complete one Square foot of tapestry. Or that. each weaver leaves her imprint on the tapestry, in the tension she sets jand the pattern of rows she weaves, 1 The © AIDS) Community ; Tapestry Project. will be at the | Vaneouiver Public Library until October. ; Information about the Dr. ‘Peter Centre can be obtained by. writing the Dr Peter AIDS Foundation office, Box 63635, . Capilano Post Office, North Vancouver, B.C. V7P 1S3 or by calling 980-0050, ‘