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In Memoriam 2023: Remembering the Musical Legends We Lost
January 1, 2024

As we approach the end of the year, we want to pay tribute to the remarkable artists who left us in 2023.

Renowned violist David Johnson Dalton, a pupil and collaborator of William Primrose, passed away at the age of 88.

Belgian composer Wim Henderickx, recognized as one of Belgium's foremost composers, passed away at the age of 60.

English composer Andrew Downes, the Head of Composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, passed away at the age of 72.

The concertmaster of Colorado's Boulder Philharmonic, violinist Charles Tyler Wetherbee, passed away at the age of 56.

Violinist Michaela Paetsch, the first American woman to record all 24 Paganini caprices, passed away at the age of 61.

Georgian pianist Manana Doijashvili, founder of the Tbilisi International Piano Competition, passed away at the age of 75.

Nigel Brown OBE, founder of the Stradivari Trust, passed away at the age of 77.

Filmmaker Christopher Nupen, known for presenting intimate portraits of classical musicians, passed away at the age of 88.

German violinist Martin Manz, a member of the Munich Philharmonic for over three decades, passed away at the age of 64.

Highly-respected South Korean violinist and teacher Nam Yun Kim passed away at the age of 74.

Czech violinist Ladislav Jasek, leader of Adelaide's Elder String Quartet and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, passed away.

Longstanding BBC Philharmonic violinist Clare Dixon, who served the orchestra for 33 years, passed away.

Scottish cellist Alexander Cameron, principal cello of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for over 15 years, passed away at the age of 100.

Juno Award-winning composer Jocelyn Morlock passed away at the age of 53.

Oscar-winning Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away at the age of 71.

Russian violinist and conductor Lev Markiz passed away at the age of 92.

Croatian cellist and pedagogue Valter Dešpalj passed away at the age of 76.

Choral conductor Royce Saltzman, a professor of choral music at the University of Oregon, passed away at the age of 94.

Ukrainian conductor Konstiantyn Starovytskyi bravely lost his life defending Ukraine on the frontlines of the Russian invasion, at the age of 40.

Oboist and journalist Blair Tindall, the author of the memoir "Mozart in the Jungle," passed away at the age of 63.

American double bassist Dan Swaim passed away at the age of 89.

Latvian-American conductor David Fetler, founder of the Greece Symphony Orchestra and Rochester Chamber Orchestra, passed away at the age of 96.

The legendary Israeli-American pianist Menahem Pressler, a founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio, passed away at the age of 99.

Cellist Rudolf Weinsheimer, a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker for 40 years, passed away at the age of 91.

Violinist Volker Worliztsch, the first concertmaster of the NDR Radio Philharmonic in Hanover, passed away at the age of 78.

Violinist Ronald Hoogeveen, the longtime concertmaster of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, passed away at the age of 74.

Belarusian cellist Aleksandr Khramouchin, principal cellist of the Luxembourg Philharmonic, passed away at the age of 43.

Austrian pianist Ingrid Haebler, a revered interpreter of Mozart's music, passed away at the age of 93.

Violinist Justine Watts, the longest-serving concertmaster of the Scottish Ballet Orchestra, passed away.

Venezuelan composer Paul Desenne passed away at the age of 63.

German violinist Edith Peinemann passed away at the age of 85.

German conductor Wolf-Dieter Hauschild, chief conductor of the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, passed away at the age of 85.

The renowned Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho passed away at the age of 70.

San Francisco-based luthier Francis Kuttner passed away.

Pianist Niel Immelman, who held a professorship at London's Royal College of Music, passed away at the age of 78.

Conductor Gerhardt Zimmermann, who held posts at the Canton Symphony Orchestra and the St Louis Symphony Orchestra, passed away at the age of 77.

Turkish violinist Suna Kan passed away at the age of 86.

Greek composer Yannis Markopoulos passed away at the age of 82.

Colombian violinist Carlos Villa, who conducted the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, passed away at the age of 84.

American cellist and pedagogue Rick Mooney passed away.

Violinist and pedagogue Philippe Borer, known for his research on Paganini and violin intonation, passed away at the age of 68.

American double bassist David Neubert, who spent over three decades playing in the Austin Symphony, passed away at the age of 69.

Composer Clarence Barlow, a pioneer in the field of electroacoustic and computer music, passed away at the age of 77.

Violinist Victor Pikayzen, who taught at the Moscow Conservatory, passed away at the age of 90.

Hong Kong physicist and luthier Anton Sie passed away at the age of 87.

English violinist Jackie Hartley, principal second violinist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the first female principal of a London orchestra, passed away at the age of 63.

Tenor Graham Clark passed away at the age of 81.

Pianist and professor André Watts, who taught at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, passed away at the age of 77.

UC Berkeley faculty member and renowned cello pedagogue Irene Sharp passed away.

Composer and conductor Yuzo Toyama, who led the NHK Symphony Orchestra, passed away at the age of 92.

Pianist Valentin Gheorghiu, one of the leading Romanian musicians of the twentieth century, passed away at the age of 95.

Pianist, composer, director, and producer Daniel Jones passed away at the age of 41.

French pianist and bandleader Denis Badault, who taught at the Toulouse Conservatory, passed away at the age of 65.

Violinist Ji Soo Choi, a graduate of The Juilliard School, passed away at the age of 28.

Czech composer and pianist Hanuš Bartoň, head of the composition department at Prague's Academy of the Performing Arts, passed away at the age of 63.

American composer Carl Davis, who wrote scores for Pride and Prejudice (1995) and The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), passed away at the age of 86.

Nancy van de Vate, composer and founder of the League of Women Composers, passed away at the age of 92.

Mariana Sîrbu, first violinist of the Quartetto Stradivari and leader of Italy’s I Musici ensemble

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