Another star in the constellation of artists
Musician, teacher, communicator Carolyn Hawley dies at the age of 91
Performing artist, concert pianist, choral director and orchestra conductor, Carolyn Hawley, passed away on May 29, at Adventist Hospital in Ukiah. She had just turned 91 on May 18. Widely influential in both Lake and Mendocino counties, contributing to local culture in many ways, relatives, friends and people who knew her said Hawley inspired countless students and music and art lovers for half a century.
She had an MA from Mills College in Oakland; created the music department at Laney Community College; and founded and conducted the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra, which performed the world premiere of her Russian River Mass on May 7, 1988.
Hawley was taught music at the college level, as well as privately. She composed original music which has been performed in the U.S. and abroad and was a member of the National Association of Composers/USA (NACUSA) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
“She lived in a rural area, up in the hills. She wanted her mother to live with her for the last few years of her mother's life, my grandma. My grandmother died in 2010 and my mom continued to live here as a musician and an artist. The main thing about her life is her music, which most of it happened before she moved here to Nice. Ever since then, she became very involved in every aspect of the music community,” said Lorin Hawley, Carolyn's son.
Her talents also extended to other fields. She was an accomplished oil painter, an author and a communicator too. She won awards for her art; published articles, poetry and a book of memoirs; and had a monthly radio show, Wordweavers, on KPFZ 88.1 in Lakeport.
Carolyn lived with her kids in Barcelona, Spain, in 1967 and 1968, and was involved in music and the arts there. They then moved to Ukiah in 1970.
She was a fierce defender of animal rights. “She was so active. She has written probably 100 or more original compositions of music, most of which have never been heard and never been performed. My mom was an incredible and energetic woman, very talented. She was like a perpetual motion machine. She never stopped moving around, working. She practiced two hours a day at the piano to the end of her life.
She would do physical work because she's always lived in the country. She would build a chicken coop or additions to the house,” said Lorin.
Carolyn Hawley is survived by two adult children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Her life was devoted to music, art and teaching.
She performed her last “gig” at the Blue Wing Restaurant, in Upper Lake, on March 27, 2022, after getting out of the hospital. “I was with her and she played for two hours, despite being barely able to walk. On April 10, she played at the memorial for her longterm friend Adele Pruitt, in Ukiah. That was the last time she played,” recalled Lorin Hawley.