Kondolanser i anledning Jostein Simbles død
Direktøren for Norsk Musikkinformasjon, Jostein Simble, gikk ut av tiden lørdag 21. oktober. Begravelsen finner sted i Vestby kirke i dag, fredag 27. oktober. Vi bringer her noen hilsener fra hans mange gode internasjonale kolleger. For øvrig vil Ballade ikke oppdateres før mandag 30. oktober.

Nyheten om Jostein Simbles bortgang ble mottatt med sorg og vantro hos mange av de ansatte i det internasjonale nettverket av musikkinformasjonssentre - IAMIC. Her i Norden ble et telefonmøte avholdt på mandag, og ble innledet med ett minutts stillhet og i sin helhet viet Simbles bortgang. Det var et ønske fra de andre, nordiske informasjonssentrene at årsmelding og andre ting man hadde på agendaen skulle utsettes til et senere møte.

Både Bergthora Jonsdottir (Island), Jari Muikku (Finland), Anette Faaborg (Danmark) og Roland Sandberg (Sverige) ba Hilde Holbæk-Hansssen overbringe sine dyptfølte kondolanser til alle ved Norsk Musikkinformasjonssenter. Jostein Simbles død hadde gjort dypt inntrykk på dem, og det har vært arrangert egen minnestund for ham.

Men også fra hele hele verden har det kommet inn konolanser og sympatierklæringer. Vi bringer her et utvalg av disse.


1) I am so, so sorry. I was very fond of him - he was such a lovely man, kind and generous, and I have never in the ten years I knew him heard him say a bad word about anyone. Just always wanting the best for his work and for music and for IAMIC. I know you and Hilde will miss him and it will be very hard to adapt to life in the MIC without him, but he will be remembered for all his work for music in Norway, and most of all just for himself - a truly good and nice man. Please pass on my sympathy to his wife, and we'll go ahead and plan the meeting for next year as he would want us to do. We'll make it the sort of meeting that he would most enjoy - an international gathering of friends, and I'm sure he'll be there in spirit.
Let me know the details of when the funeral is as soon as you know, because I'd like to be thinking of him at that time.
Eve O’ Kelly, Irish Music Information Centre.

2) What sad news... Jostein was the great Man of IAMIC. Our deepest sympathy to you and your colleagues, his family. We are grieving with you all. It is so sad.
Daiva and Linas, Lithuanian Music Information Centre.

3) We feel very sad.
Just 10 days ago we had from you not so bad news about Jostein's health, and now all of a sudden…
We considered Jostein as an inspiring figure for our group, so intelligent, wise, experienced and responsible. And we'll miss so much his humour, his oblique and original way to consider problems. No doubt a great loss for IAMIC - I mean, for us as persons, not just for the organization.
Sure, we'll keep on working in Jostein's spirit.
Our very best regards
Veniero Rizzardi and Caterina Santi, Archivi della Musica Italiana Contemporanea.

4) My condolences to you and the rest of the staff and to Jostein's family. This is so sad and quite a shock. I know we will all miss him greatly at next year's conference. If there is anything we can help with from this side of the world I hope you will let us know.
It amazes me how dedicated and committed so many of the IAMIC staff are and I had no idea that Jostein had been with your Centre for 20 years. I was also impressed at what good friendships he seemed to have with his staff - I am sure that will be especially difficult for you at this time. I hope when we are all together next year we can pause and make a special remembrance toast to him - perhaps he will be with us in spirit!!!
With very best wishes,
Scilla, Centre for NZ Music, New Zealand.

5) I'm so sorry to hear about Josteins death.
I spoke to him in Budapest - yes, we knew that he was ill, but not that it was so bad and that it was the last time we saw him.
It is sad.
Greetings from Holland, the country he loved too.
Els, Muziek Groep Netherlands.

6) What a shock - I can´t believe it. Please accept my condoleances. Please communicate them to his family.
Jostein was a respected member of IAMIC during all those years and Treasures of the board for many years.
I wish you all strength in these days of grief.
Bèr Deuss, Suzanne van Sytzama, Holland.

7) I am so sad.. I just can't believe that we will have no more of his marvelous humour and irony. It must be a terrible shock for all of you as he was also such a marvelous friend for everybody. The meeting in September will be greatly saddend by his absence evn though I know that he would not want it to be so and would just want us to go on with the fest.... We'll have to try to do so and I know that you will do all you can to make his spirit relive again. All my love to all.
Marianne Lyon, Centre de la documentation de la musique contemporaine, Frankrike.


8) With a great sorrow I learned the bad news about Jostein. Let me present to you and your colleagues my condolence. We who knew him will remember Jostein as a good person and a great friend.
Yours,
Miroslav Pudlák, Tsjekkoslovakia.

9) Stef and I are very sad to hear that Jostein died. I only know him for one year but I discovered in him a very professional and a very warm colleague. He wanted to share his large experience with all of us and especially with those who were starting up a new organisation (like we are). He liked new challenges and wanted the best for his organisation and for his colleagues.
We wish you all the strength and hope that you can go on in his spirit.
Jan Jaspers and Stef Coninx,
Flanders Music Centre, Brussels, Belgia.

10) Kære gode venner i Norsk MIC, kære Hilde og Lisbeth.
Vi er alle i dansk MIC dybt berørt over meddelelsen om Josteins død.
Jostein har været en meget betydningsfuld skikkelse i det nordiske samarbejde gennem alle årene og en varm, klog, inspirerende og vittig ven og kollega.
Vi tænker med stor varme og sorg på ham - og på alle jer kolleger i Norsk MIC. Lad os vide, hvornår begravelsen finder sted.
Kærlige hilsener fra os alle
Anette, dansk MIC.

11) What a sad and a sudden piece of news you were forced to deliver to so many people who had got to know Jostein over the years. I am sure you are right, it takes time - days, weeks, months - for this kind of news to really get through to one's mind. You can be sure that all the people in the Finnish MIC share your sorrow and feel great sympathy for the staff of the Norsk Musikkinformasjon. It is hardly much of a comfort, but if you have a chance, please express our sympathies and condolences to Wenche.
Warm expression of sympathy also from Pekka.
Anni Heino
Finnish MIC

12) I am so very sorry to hear this sad news. I had met Jostein at MIDAM in Cannes last year and he was such a wonderful gentleman. We will miss him very much all of us. Please let us know if there is any way we can help during this very sad time. On behalf of everyone at the Canadian Music Centre our sincere condolences.
In sympathy,
Elisabeth Bihl, Canadian Music Centre.

13) To Jostein's family and colleagues:
I have just heard about Jostein's death. I met Jostein through IAMIC, of which I was briefly Vice-President, when I was at the Australian Music
Centre. He was a wonderful, calm force and it is a shock to know that we have lost him.
I send condolences and best wishes in this sad time to all of you who shared a daily life with Jostein.
Sincerely
Dick Letts, Executive Director, Music Council of Australia

14) What awful news and still unexpected, even though we knew Jostein's health wasn't good. We will all miss him very much. Words cannot say....
We wish you and others close to him a lot of strength.
Henk, GAUDEAMUS, Holland.

15) I can not tell you how astonished we are. The news is so unbelievable, unexpected for all of us: Jostein did not seem ill in Budapest.
May God give peace to his ashes.
We wish all our best to the rest of the Norwagian MIC in these difficult days.
Eszter Vida and all the colleagues of the Hungarian Music Council.

16) I am deeply saddened at the death of your director, Jostein, last Saturday. Although I only met him during two IAMIC conferences - Vienna and Budapest - he was an extremely gentle and courteous person with a quiet sense of humour. It is so sad that he will not be with you for the 2001 conference. It will be a fitting tribute to him to hold the conference in his memory and I'm sure that all your other colleagues throughout the IAMIC network will share in this memory.
Kind regards,
Jonathan Grimes, Information Manager, Contemporary Music Centre, Dublin, Ireland

17) I got the news of Josteins death from John Davis. Although I´m that far away I will be with you, your colleagues and especially the familiy, which I don´t know personally, in this time of saying goodbye to Jostein.
I´m very sad about his death, because I liked him so much despite of the fact that we never entered a very personal level in our discussions. But I always felt - I guess like many, many others - he is a true friend I can always trust. He was a great man and he was a wise man.
I liked his dry comments and his storys, showing how precise he was watching the persons and the life around him. His sense of humour was outstanding and I do remember many moments when we had to laugh about one of his stories. This is the way Jostein will be alive in my memory for ever.
I don´t know in detail, what he had done for you and the center in Oslo, but I think he did more than you could have imagined from a single person. For IAMIC he was one of the fathers, IAMIC how it is today would not be like that without him. I also found remarkable his efforts during the last months in looking for a more international approach for IAMIC what will hopefully continue without him.
Once again, I will be with you all in missing Jostein and in remembering so many moments with him as a person who had given us examples of a life with an open eye and heart for the people around him.
Matthias Finkentey, Santiago, Chile.

18) Mr. Ohtsuka called me up to tell that Mr. Simble had passed away. I am really sorry to hear the obituary, and I believe that all of you at the MIC must miss him.
Though I could not have the chances of seeing him in person, Mr. Ohtsuka told me that Mr. Simble had mentioned my name on Mr. and Mrs. Ohtsuka's visit to the MIC earlier this year. Mr. Simble must have cared about me and our activities, I imagine.
Please accept our sincere condolences. We would appreciate it if you give our best regards to his familiy.
With heartiest regards,
Tadaaki Tsuda, Kyoichi Okada, Nordic Sound Hiroshima, Japan.

19) Jag känner mig fortfarande omtumlad av det sorgliga beskedet igår. Och jag förstår att ni kommer att ha det rörigt på kontoret ett tag framåt. Sänd våra hälsningar till alla på kontoret från oss på svenska MIC. Vi tänker på er!
Bästa hälsningar
Roland S, STIM, Stockholm.

20) Det är med sorg och bestörtning vi mottagit beskedet att Jostein har avlidit. Vi känner starkt med er och för många hos oss liksom för er alla i Norge är det som att ha förlorat en kär vän.
Kära hälsningar
Anita Turlock , STIM, Stockholm.

21) I was saddened to learn just a few minutes ago through Roland Sandberg of Jostein's death.
He was a thoughtful and generous man whose advice was always sound. We found him always to be a great friend and champion of composers whether they were Norwegian, Canadian, or otherwise.
Please convey to his family and friends my sincere condolences. He will be greatly missed.
Yours sincerely,
Lawrence Cherney, Artistic Director, Soundstreams Canada & Northern Encounters.

22) I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mr. Simble on October 21.
When I heard from Mr. Ohtsuka yesterday, I could hardly believe it for a while because I could only recall the cheeful face of Mr. Simble in a good humour. On behalf of the Nordic Choral Society of Japan, I wish to extend to his family a deepest sympathy.
Sincerely,
Rumi, Nordic Choral Society of Japan.

23) Je voudrais exprimer notre plus profond regret pour la perte de notre ami Jostein Simble.
José Augusto Mannis, Director of Music Information Centre, Brasil.

24) All of us, at the American Music Center, send our deepest condolences to you and your colleagues as well as to Jostein's family. Richard Kessler and I are both particularly saddened by this news and will always treasure the memories of the time we spent with him at IAMIC conferences.
Best wishes,
Frank J. Oteri and the entire staff of the American Music Center

25) I was deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the untimely death og Jostein Simble. My personal and immediate feelings was that I have lost a dear friend.
It was my privelege to have met with Jostein on several occosions, and I have learned to appreciate and admire him both as a man of music and a person. His loss will be keenly felt not only by the Norwegian musical community, but by the family of IAMIC throughout the world to the growth of which he has contributed so much.
Jostein Simble will be most warmly remembered by all those who knew him. Please accept my own and the Israel Music Information Centres heartfelt condolences on your loss.
Sincerely,
Paul Landau, Director, Israel Music Institute.

26) My thoughts, along with many others, are with you during this time.
I am sure there are many many tributes for such a man as Jostein - I too have my personal ones. He always encouraged me, and made me feel supported. No doubt this was what he did for so many people. His quiet wisdom, his unique sense of humour, and his perfectly balanced judgement on matters, are things I will remember.
I remember a conversation with him standing outside the Opera House here in Sydney at the 1999 IAMIC Conference - in a quiet moment outside, watching the harbour, and enjoying a cigarette. In the conversation he related his memories of his involvement with IAMIC over the years, and its progress, and he expressed his pleasure at the direction that IAMIC was heading. I felt strongly his commitment not only to IAMIC, but also to principles and values of the concept of family, and of community - of relationships between people. I will carry the memory of this conversation with me always.
The world needs more people like him.
With my best regards,
John Davis, Australian Music Information Centre.