Townsman, 1991-02, Page 20Hans and Kathryn Braul, husband and wife cofounders of Chamber Music Kincardine agree that their mutual
interest in classical music played an integral part in bringing the two of them together.
Music brought couple together
Love of music played big part in couple's courtship, marriage
By Bonnie Gropp
The magic of music has charmed
many a romance through the years
and for Hans and Kathryn Braul, of
Kincardine. the enchantment that
brought them together initially has
remained a passionate influence in
their partnership.
The founders of Chamber Music
Kincardine met during their high
school years in St. Catharines.
Hans, an affable, open man de-
scribes their early relationship as
rather atypical. "We were never
really dating, we just sort of hung
around together and went to the
same things at the same time."
Most of these outings were to the
St. Catharines Symphony perfor-
mances where the two indulged
their inexhaustable appetite for
classical music. It was this common
bond that e‘cntuall}tied them
together.
"If there was a time when we
decided we loved each other, it was
probably the night we went to see a
concert of the National Arts Centre
Orchestra in St. Catharines at Brock
University." said the soft-spoken
Kathryn.
"It was an incredible perfor-
mance." said Hans, while his wife
added. "It sticks in my mind and
will live forever after." The encore
that evening was Bach's Air on a G
String. which the conductor dedi-
cated to a friend who recently
passed away. "That preface set the
tone for the night," said Kathryn.
"It was breathtaking. The entire
audience was spellbound and when
it ended there was complete silence
18 TOWNSMANIFEBRUARY-MARCH 1991
for a moment. It was extremely
poignant.
Hans continued, "After that
magical performance we decided to
walk downtown. Kathy had on
dainty little open -toed sandals and
there was snow falling. It was one of
those pretty nights, with big fluffy
flakes falling, but lots of slush. I had
boots on and I remember thinking
that she hadn't dressed too wisely
for this time of year," Hans laughs.
"I remember not being cold or
uncomfortable in the least," said
Kathryn. It was perfect."
The young couple walked for
miles, relishing the moments they
had spent, awakening to how much
they had in common.
"When we arrived back, we put
on a fire and decided that we were