Vale Chris Livingstone

Chris passed away peacefully at his home in Badger Creek on Monday, 22nd July 2024.

Tributes from members of our Shakespeare on Zoom group

It is very sad news. He had a few days of general malaise, increasingly weak, sleeping unusually long hours, not eating. His brother Simon and niece Saskia were in constant caring contact but Chris refused to go to a doctor. So he died at home knowing there were people who cared about him. He was a talented and kind man. He was my long time dear friend and a friend to many people.
I first met Chris in 2016 in Noel’s group Shakespeare Rocks. It is no secret that Chris liked A Midsummer Night’s Dream, particularly the character Bottom. He was delighted to be cast in the part by Noel and I was Titania. Chris’s gusto was endearing although my attempts to be fairy queen-like were sometimes threatened by the contrast. We had great fun with the play as we did again recently. Just as Bottom is a lovable character, so was our dear Chris, tutor, friend and remarkable human being. I couldn’t hold back the tears when I heard the sad news, but I am comforted that he was looking forward to the rest of the plays and particularly Hamlet next year. It is good to know he was with his family at the end.
It is with much sadness that I write these condolences for Chris’s family and friends. Although I have only known him for a short while since he began as a U3A tutor of our Shakespeare group, he had become a dear friend. He imparted his knowledge with such enthusiasm that I think I can say for all of us that his loss will mean a great gap in our lives. It was a great shock when we heard of his passing, particularly when we were waiting for him to appear at our regular Tuesday Zoom meeting.

Tributes from members of our Tuning in to Opera group

Chris was a very gentle soul who gave his time to help people and whose knowledge of all types of music was amazing. Very modest about his singing achievements and always eager to learn. Thanks for the memories. Rest in peace.
Chris loved comic opera placing the libretto ahead of the vocals. He introduced us to the patter songs of Donizetti and of course Gilbert of G&S fame. Many thanks Chris.
As a relative new-comer to the group I didn’t know Chris well, but I am very sorry to hear that he has left us just when I was planning to join his Shakespeare group. He seemed to be such a cheery, friendly and yet modest man, and knowledgeable on any topic he chose to talk about. Gone too soon Chris – you will be much missed, I’m sure, by all who knew you.
Chris was such a gentle, kind and intelligent man, humble too. I had the privilege of knowing Chris, initially as a long term member of our Opera Group and last year I joined his newly formed, weekly Shakespeare group on Zoom. Of course the idea for that group grew from a discussion at an Opera end of year celebration (from memory). I often enjoyed Chris’s perspective on Opera as an amateur singer himself. Sadly we didn’t get to hear his singing. I will always think of Chris with his ‘hummable tunes’ phrase. Chris was both an amateur singer and performer and he contributed greatly to the wider community. He will be sadly missed.
My thoughts are with the family of Chris at this very sad time of their loss. We valued his input so highly in our Opera group.
Chris had an eclectic taste, was very modest about his singing achievements and was always eager to learn. He will be greatly missed by the friends in Tuning in to Opera.
With a rare combination of love of classical music and humour, Chris lightened meetings of our group. He always had a YouTube clip of a ‘flash mob’ performance or spoof song to brighten a session or record a birthday. He entertained us regularly with the adventures of his loved and infuriating new puppy, Lucy the Lab, who brought innumerable chewed flower pots into the house as presents for him and grew to a camping companion. When one of his self-styled ‘rambling’ messages warned the group he had a clashing medical appointment, or when he didn’t appear with yet another gorgeous backdrop photo of the cows in the next-door property, he was missed. Missed now by all of us.
I loved Chris’s long letters to you and the group. I didn’t know him all that well, but he was a kind, knowledgeable man and entertaining too.
He will be much missed the Opera group and his Shakespeare group as well as in U3A in general.
What a sad week this is. Chris was such a gentle, kind and intelligent man, humble too. I had the privilege of joining his Shakespeare group early last year. Of course the idea for that group grew from a discussion at an opera end of year celebration (from memory). I often enjoyed Chris’s take on opera, especially the Russians. So he and Ewen had that in common, though they differed in their preferred Russian composers. I will always think of Chris with his “hummable tunes” phrase. Chris was both an amateur singer and performer and he contributed greatly to the wider community. He will be sadly missed.
Very shocked to receive this news. Only the other week I was chuckling at Chris’s witty poem in the U3A newsletter.
I’m unable to join you today, but wanted to pass on my fraternal greetings of sadness to all.
Chris was more than a significant contributor to the opera group. He was invaluable in the early days as we battled the intricacies of Zoom, he had an insider’s knowledge of opera performing, and in our meetings he provided any number of interesting views and opinions. Outside the group, I felt a kinship in his scientific and computational knowledge from which I learned much. Irreplaceable.
His enthusiasms were never small. In 2020, everyone nominated a favourite passage for our end of term Zoom concert. Here’s Chris’s message:
“‘Bella Figlia dell’amore’, the quartet from the last act of Verdi’s Rigoletto. I saw Rigoletto decades ago when Vic State Opera was in full swing back in the early 80s but it wasn’t till about a decade ago when I heard the quartet on YouTube and absolutely fell in love with it. I’ve been known to play this rather loudly at 3am as a finale to an evening of getting sidetracked on YT! I’ve listened to many versions since then – there are oodles on YT – but this remains my favourite version.“