By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Pamela Gill Eby, a celebrated organist, music educator, and artist, will be remembered for her lifelong passion for music, particularly in the realms of church and choral music. A memorial service honouring her legacy is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. at St. Mark’s Chapel on the Bishop’s University campus. While the service will bring together friends, family, and former students, the highlight will be Pam’s own recorded organ pieces, lovingly referred to as “Virtual Pam,” which will provide a special accompaniment during the service.
Pam’s remarkable journey with music began at a young age in her hometown of London, Ontario. Though her family was not particularly musical, as her husband, retired Bishop’s University music professor Jack Eby, recounted in a recent interview, “There was a piano in the house, which was the norm in the 1950s.” This simple start led to organ lessons in her teenage years, a turning point that would shape her entire life. Jack noted that “something clicked” when Pam started learning the organ, and her dedication to the instrument grew quickly.
Pam earned her Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance and Theory from the University of Western Ontario in 1974. Her talent was immediately recognized when she won a national organ competition in 1973, leading to a performance on CBC’s “Organists in Recital.” Despite her nervousness before recitals, Pam’s skill was undeniable, though she eventually found her true calling not in solo performances, but in liturgical and choral music, a realm she deeply cherished.
Her career took her across various churches in Ontario, including St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. Peter’s in London. After marrying Jack Eby in 1981, the couple spent a year in Paris, where Pam furthered her organ studies at the Conservatoire Nationale de Rueil-Malmaison. The couple then moved to the Eastern Townships in 1984 when Jack was hired at Bishop’s University, a move that Pam embraced fully.
