Banderas Bay lost a great friend on January 28 when John Henry Kreitler passed away. John was at his home in Northern Kentucky, where he was surrounded by the love of family, friends, and his church community.
John and his wife Patsy Meyer spent many winters in their Mismaloya condo. Although he spent many hours composing music, he also found time to be involved with the HOA committee at Las Jolla Mismaloya, loved to walk along the beaches, and challenged his friends to evenings of board games.
He was very generous and open-hearted, genuinely loved life, his family, friends, collaborating with others, and all kinds of music.
John loved to discuss current events and politics; the more controversial, the better.
John married Patsy, the love of his life, on July 18, 1982. Over their 41-year marriage, they collaborated and expanded their music careers together and had two children, Chelsea and Chase. John said his family was always the sweetest music in his life.
Having been a ten-time Emmy-winning composer meant that John contributed to the world of music throughout North America. He wrote music for advertising, television, and film. He
won Emmys composing for daytime dramas As the World Turns, Another World and Guiding Light.
He wrote incidental music for several theater productions, including Treasure Island at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. John’s film and TV music have been heard by audiences all over the world.
Other credits include Law and Order, Friends, Homicide, Riviera, Saturday Night Live, and the films Material Girls (MGM) and Tribute (Lifetime). John and Patsy are co-creators of Artz Smartz, a book and animated video series that introduces young children to music.
This past year, John finished writing his second symphony.
John’s contributions to music in Banderas Bay included Canciones de Vallarta, which he dedicated to world-renowned cellist, friend, and long-time resident of Mismaloya, Donald Moline.
Because of John’s deep belief in music education, the world premiere of Canciones de Vallarta, featuring Donald Moline, was a fundraising event for Instituto de Artes Musicales Puerto Vallarta (IAMPV), an organization to which John gave huge support.
John was a calm, passionate, and understanding person with a great talent for organizing events; his compositions for chamber ensembles are well-written and allow each musician to shine and display the instrument’s numerous possibilities in very original ways.
Donald Moline writes, “His genius in harnessing orchestral colors and sounds of nature, blending them with the solo cello, created a colorful palette that was challenging to perform but highly rewarding as a performer. We later recorded a CD of these pieces at his large studio in Kentucky.”
Perhaps most of you in Banderas Bay will remember John best for his outstanding concert series Virtuosos De Camera. John was prescient in his musical and programming tastes and expertly guided us in crafting well-balanced programs with the flow of the music and audience preferences always in consideration.
The entire community is a better place because of John’s inspiration and hard, hard work. He arranged for world-class musicians to perform to sold-out houses and awestruck audiences for several years.
We are so lucky to have had him develop these programs and encourage this level of excellence in our community.
Click here for more information about Virtuosos de Camera.
John Henry Kreitler will be deeply missed, but he leaves a legacy of musical excellence for all of us to remember. We wish to share our condolences and very best wishes to his wife, Patsy Meyer and his children, grandchildren, and friends.
