George Guilbault, 71; corporate benefits expert was active in musical theater

To some, George J. Guilbault was a successful Boston-based executive; to others, he was a talented and driven songwriter and musician.

To his family and friends, the Peabody man was also a devoted family man, who loved having 10 grandchildren and showed an unwavering passion for life, said his son Peter of Hubbardston.

Mr. Guilbault died Tuesday of liver failure at Brooksby Village retirement community. He was 71.

A trumpet player in his youth, Mr. Guilbault performed on radio stations in Amsterdam, N.Y. Before graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1956, he was appointed to the faculty.

In New York during the 1950s, he worked as a staff arranger for many famous musicians, including the Ray Charles Singers and Perry Como . ``He was very proud of working with them," said his son.

Mr. Guilbault was also a pianist and assistant composer of the orchestra at The North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly and hosted a show on National Public Radio on musical theater.

He composed 14 choral pieces published by The Boston Music Co. In 1981, he founded the Wintersauce Chorale , a 16-voice group that performed in Boston. The chorale was one of his most treasured accomplishments, his son said.

While Mr. Guilbault's biggest passion was music, his son said he thought he should make a career in a different field for his family's sake.

``All the while, he continued to play music," his son said.

Up to his death, he was serving on the Board of Visitors of the New England Conservatory of Music, where he helped to create the Musical Theater Scholarship Fund.

Mr. Guilbault excelled in his other career, having founded and directed the Benefits Consulting Group at the Boston law firm of Ropes & Gray.

He was an expert in private pensions and employee benefit consultation -- skills that led him to testify before Congress during the passing of The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. He also worked as an adviser for Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown and was a trustee at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. He wrote numerous articles and gave many lectures on industry regulations and legislation.

More recently, Mr. Guilbault served as a governor of Boston's Handel & Haydn Society.

In addition to his son, he leaves his wife, Janice M. (Collins); two other sons, Timothy of Montpelier and Donald Harrington of Cumberland Center, Maine; two daughters, Patricia Rosen of Upton and Susan MacKinnon of Natick; two brothers, Frank of Hammondsport, N.Y., and Daniel of Harrisburg, N.C.; and 10 grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Aug. 19 at 1 p.m. in the chapel at Brooksby Village.