Conductor Bramwell Tovey has passed away. He had been Music Director of the Sarasota Orchestra since 2021, and that orchestra made the announcement a few hours ago, noting that he was “[d]iagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma in May of 2019 . . . from which he was ultimately unable to recover.” He was … Continue reading
The Southern California classical music community has lost one of its important voices. Robert D. “Bob” Thomas died in the early morning of Thursday, May 3rd. He reached countless readers as the long-time music critic and writer for the Pasadena Star-News and its sister publications in the Southern California News Group, as well as for … Continue reading
Sad news yesterday from the Los Angeles Philharmonic that Mitchell Peters, member of the orchestra from 1969 until his retirement in 2006, has passed away at the age of 82. Mr. Peters was named Co-Principal Percussionist in 1972 and took over the Principal Timpani in 1982. He was also well-known as a composer, arranger, and … Continue reading
Frederick Tinsley, double-bass player with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, passed away on Sept 19th. He was 76-years old. Mr. Tinsley was a 42-year veteran of the orchestra; he was originally hired by Zubin Mehta in 1974. The LA Phil will dedicate a concert to his memory during the opening week of their 2016-17 Walt Disney … Continue reading
Kurt Masur, Music Director Emeritus of the New York Philharmonic and former Kappellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, has died at his home in Greenwich, CT. The German native was 88-years old. Notable obituaries: Margalit Fox for The New York Times Anastasia Tsioulcas for National Public Radio ————— Photo courtesy of Radio France / Christophe Abramowitz Continue reading
American conductor Lorin Maazel died earlier today from complications of pneumonia at his home in Virginia. He was 84. The former child prodigy was born in 1930, began playing violin in “the Karl Moldrem Baby Orchestra” by the age of five, and was conducting at seven years old. In 1938, he made his first appearance on the … Continue reading
Sad news comes that Paul Salamunovich, legendary choral conductor, passed away last night. He was 86 years old. Born in Redondo Beach, he attended St. James Elementary School where he sang in the choir and got his first exposure to Gregorian chant. He eventually become a renowned expert in that vocal art form, and he … Continue reading
Word comes from Paris that French composer Henri Dutilleux has died at the age of 97. Obituaries below from some diverse sources: Schott Music has a very detailed one HERE Tom Service in The Guardian writes a short obit HERE which links to a much longer article he wrote this past January about the composer’s … Continue reading
Sad news comes that pianist Van Cliburn has passed away this morning in Fort Worth, TX. He was 78 years old. I was a Van Cliburn fan from an early age. He was the first world-class pianist I ever knew by name, thanks to my parents owning his LP (yes, vinyl 33-1/3) of Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody … Continue reading
There are few people I have ever known for whom all was truly yar, who really did live the good life in all of its many forms, more than Mark Anthony Petix. A gifted writer, he was most familiar to the world for his many years at The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, covering the Inland Empire in all … Continue reading
The sad news has come from St. Petersburg, Russia, that Eduard Khil has died. He had suffered a stroke in late May and been in critical condition since then. He was 77 years old. The Soviet baritone is best known in the West as “Mr. Trololo” after a video he filmed in 1976 went viral … Continue reading
The word “great” is often overused, but there can be no doubt that it applies to Maurice André. The French trumpeter, renowned worldwide for his artistry and leadership, has died at the age of 78. He won his first prize for trumpet in 1953. It was the first of many more awards and honors to come, … Continue reading
According to KUSC’s Twitter feed, Lorin Levee, Principal Clarinet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has passed away. He was 61 years old. The information was retweeted by the LA Phil, so I’m guessing that the sad news is accurate. Thoughts, prayers, and condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. No additional details, andthe orchestra has … Continue reading
Irving Geller, former Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and first violin with the orchestra from 1951-1999, passed away on November 16, 2011. He was 85 years old. Mr. Geller joined the LA Phil as one of its youngest members after having served as Assistant Concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony for three years. … Continue reading
Kurt Sanderling, prominent conductor in Eastern Europe before and after World War II, principal conductor of the Berlin Symphony from 1960-1977, and later a frequent guest with major European and American orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has died at the age of 98. He was two days away from his 99th birthday. During the interregnum … Continue reading
All is Yar 