We met in Ottawa—my brother Ronald and I from Los Angeles and my sister Nuria Nono from Venice—to inaugurate the Canadian presentation of a multimedia exhibition that we had produced about our father, in the hope that it would inspire others to learn about his life and works. Professor James Wright invited us to Ottawa to open the exhibition, which he had rescued from the east coast of the United States, and to attend a concert series and symposium devoted to our father's work, hosted by Carleton University. We were all impressed by the schedule of events and felt that through the comprehensive presentation of lectures, concerts, and the exhibition, others would have the opportunity to experience the breadth of our father's life and works. Professor Wright had not only transferred the multi-media exhibition to Canada but had organized an imposing series of events that would encourage the performance and study of Arnold Schoenberg's compositions. Canada has a history of being Schoenbergfriendly (one thinks of the film producer Larry Weinstein, and, of course, Glenn Gould, among others), and our family was delighted to accept this invitation to take part in the events, and to visit Ottawa for the first time.
The presentations by participants from Canada, the United States, Austria, and Australia were consistently engaging and excellent. As a non-musicologist, I acknowledge that I prefer listening to music about words rather than words about music. But the combination of lectures and performances resulted in an altogether satisfying and music-enhancing experience.
Our family contribution included the opportunity to add a personal touch to the proceedings by discussing our early memories of growing up in Los Angeles. Following the chamber music theme we were able to recall the many visiting performers and ensembles that had performed in our home. But we also revealed the music that we sang together—our ladies club and gentleman's anthems, of course composed by our father, and a special song that he had written for Nuria (the “Nullele-Pullele” lied). And we had the opportunity to discuss and display the many games that he made for us, the tennis scoring system which he developed for my brother in order to help them both analyze the match, and some of his “tinkering” inventions.