The memory of a key figure in Windsor-Essex's arts scene will remain a vivid one at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre.
The Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) Foundation and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra hosted a media event on Wednesday that marked the first anniversary of the passing of Maestro Robert Franz, the symphony's longtime music director.
The orchestra will honour Franz's legacy by providing staff and volunteers at the cancer centre with a pair of free tickets to a symphony Masterworks or Pops performance during the 2026-27 season.
WSO Executive Director Patti Lauzon said Franz had wanted to give back to the people who helped him during his cancer treatment.
"One of the things that he talked to me about numerous times last summer, was how important it was for him to make sure that he came back and distributed free tickets to the cancer program staff," said Lauzon.
Franz, who was 57 when he passed and had been the WSO's music director for 12 years, had battled non-Hodgkin Lymphoma twice, having gone into remission once before becoming ill again in the winter of 2025.
Brandon Atkins, Franz's husband, attended the announcement on Wednesday. He said the late maestro would have been proud to see his wish become reality.
"I think that it's just the realization of a goal that he had that he didn't get to see to fruition, and it's a beautiful gift that the WSO has done on his behalf, knowing that it was part of his dying wish that individuals here could get a small thank-you gesture for the work they had done in caring for him at the end of his life," said Atkins."
The symphony has continued its search for Franz's successor.
The WSO's 2026-27 season begins on September 26 with the program "From Paris to Madrid".
