I Didn’t Want It to Be Boring: Conversations about Ruth Watson Henderson's Life and Music

(Prism Publishers, Toronto: 2017).

Author: Hilary Apfelstadt, Professor and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Toronto; Artistic Director of Exultate Chamber Singers

By any measure, Ruth Watson Henderson had an extraordinary musical career. From prodigious pianist to internationally acclaimed composer, she has been honoured many times for her breathtaking choral compositions. But little is known about her life.

True to its word, “I Didn’t Want It to Be Boring” tells, in fascinating detail, about Henderson’s meteoric rise to stardom. The result is a humanizing account of the Canadian icon — a story of duty and defiance, motherhood and musical inspiration, and the daunting task of striking a balance between them.

Through a series of conversations with Henderson, her colleagues, and her four children, author Hilary Apfelstadt offers a rare glimpse into the life of a musical luminary.