Maestro Robert Raines’ love for music transcended everything. Raines, 64, conductor, CEO and chief artistic director of the Brampton Symphony Orchestra (BSO), died Saturday, April, 16, 2011 at North York General Hospital from esophageal cancer. “Robert was one of the great musical philanthropists of our time,” said Michael Todd, president of the BSO board of directors and a close friend of Raines. “He gave opportunities to many of the young and upcoming talent from Brampton– both on the local stage at the Rose Theatre and as well as on the international stage at Miami beach. At his core, he was a community builder and a master teacher.” Raines’ no-nonsense exterior harboured a compassionate heart and a passion for his craft. He was the force and architect behind an art and cultural initiative between Brampton and its sister city Miami. Raines– who was the conductor of BSO for nine seasons– was a natural teacher who nurtured a deep love for not just the music, but the musicians and the community, said Todd. A huge fan of Jackie Gleason– an American comedian, actor and musician– Raines believed and embraced Gleason’s motto- ‘And away we go.’ Maestro Raines’ career, spanning some 50 years, kick-started with $1.25 music lessons. He was responsible for creating various initiatives, including a summer day camp and city-wide Strings for Youth classes in collaboration with Brampton Neighbourhood Resource Centre. Through this program, children from disadvantaged homes in Brampton receive music lessons, instruments and books free of cost. Last year, when BSO faced a possible shut-down because of a funding crisis, Raines fought hard for some two-dozen musicians to have full-season contracts. Before his stint at the BSO, Raines conducted the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, the Halton Youth Symphony and created the Romantic Evening Concert Series in Toronto. He was also a professor of music at Dalhousie University and the chair of Acadia University’s String Department in Nova Scotia. But the person who inspired him, and in many respects shaped his destiny, was none other than Arthur Fiedler, the legendary conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. When in college, Raines caught a brief and almost tantalizing glimpse of his own future when working as a wine steward for the Boston Pops Orchestra. At that time, the young Raines, often watched his idol Fiedler from the sidelines. “As a wine steward, I would open champagne bottles during the concert and talk to many people from the audience,” he recalled. “The tickets weren’t expensive then. They were 50 cents. I often wondered, just how many things do we have (in life) that inspire or make the average person happy ? To me, Arthur Fiedler was doing just that with the Boston Pops Orchestra.”