Allegro
Requiem
Volume CIII, No. 11November, 2003
Ralph Adler – Viola
Florence Anderson – Organ/Composer
Rudolph Bennett – Piano/Conductor
Constance Betsch – Piano
William A. Caiazza – Trombone/Euphonium
Victor Caplain – Piano
Jerry Citron – Piano
Francesca Corsi – Harp
Sebastian Fucci – Drums
Herbert Garber – Violin/Viola/Piano
John S. Gehrken – Piano
Daphne Hellman – Harp
Edward Kalenscher – Saxophone
Howard Leess – Saxophone
Herbie Mann – Flute
Tommy Mitchell – Bass Trombone
Edward L. Monford – Clarinet
Attilio Poto – Clarinet
Alexander Williams – Clarinet
Edward Zandy – Trumpet
Jack Zimmermann – Bass
Florence Anderson
Florence Anderson DuPage, 92, an organist and composer and a Local 802 member since 1937, died on July 21.
Ms. Anderson studied composition and theory with Rubin Goldmark and Tibor Serly, who was one of the few students of Bela Bartok. She also studied piano with Edmund Hilsberg.
She won the Boston Symphony’s Women’s Honorable Mention Award in 1941 for her symphonic poem, “The Pond.”
Ms. Anderson was an organist for many years with Episcopal churches in New York, Long Island and Jamestown (N.Y.). She also worked at the Advent-Tuller School in Westbury (N.Y.). There, she collaborated with one of the teachers, Sister Jean, and co-wrote many operettas for children and adults.
In 1984, the Atlanta Symphony performed her symphonic works and Robert MacDuffie soloed on her “Fantasia for Violin.”
Since 1997, Ms. Anderson had lived in Kansas City. The University of Missouri assembled her compositions and created the Florence Anderson DuPage Collection. Her works are archived at the Miller Nichols Library along with the works of her husband, Richard, who was also a composer.
She is survived by her daughters Diane and Nancy, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Rudolph Bennett
Rudolph Bennett, 78, a pianist, conductor, vocal coach and music director, and an 802 member since 1956, died on Sept. 9.
Mr. Bennett had been assistant director of music at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He earned his master’s degree from the Philadelphia Academy of Music, where he studied piano and conducting.
Mr. Bennett was studio assistant to Martial Singher, the French baritone, and worked with Georgio Tozzi and Jerome Hines of the Metropolitan Opera Company.
He also worked on staff of the State Theatre at Lincoln Center.
Mr. Bennett conducted the 20th anniversary revival of “Oklahoma” at the New York City Center Light Operetta Company, where he worked with Richard Rodgers.
Early in his career, Mr. Bennett conducted summer shows in Cohasset, Mass. Later, he was the musical director for “Man of La Mancha” on Broadway.
He is survived by his wife Barbara and daughter Marissa Benetsky.
A memorial for Mr. Bennett will take place on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at 234 West 44th Street (the Sardi Building), on the 11th floor.
William A. Caiazza
William Caiazza, 73, a trombonist, euphonium player and music educator, and an 802 member since 1957, died on Aug. 15.
Mr. Caiazza studied trombone and euphonium with his father and with Frank Simon. He was also a composition student of Nicholas Flagello.
He was a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and earned an M.A. in Music Education from the Manhattan School of Music.
From 1952-56, Mr. Caiazza was the euphonium soloist with the Army Band in Washington D.C. He was principal trombone with the Chicago Opera Ballet, Moiseyev Dance Company, the Royal Danish Ballet and the Chilean Ballet.
He also played in numerous Broadway shows, including “Redhead,” “Gypsy,” “Tovarich,” “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” “Milk and Honey” and “Hello Dolly.”
As a freelance musician, Mr. Caiazza played with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, the Brooklyn Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and in many TV commercials.
Since 1968, Mr. Caiazza was coordinator of instrumental music for the West New York (N.J.) school system. He also wrote school band arrangements for Macie Publishing Company and Consort Trios.
He is survived by his sister Barbara, two nephews and a niece.
Francesca Corsi
Francesca Corsi, 68, a harpist and an 802 member since 1957, died on Aug. 26.
Ms. Corsi was principal harpist with the New York City Opera for 35 years.
She won a scholarship from Juilliard, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and studied harp with Marcel Grandjany.
In 1956 she made her debut at Carnegie Hall with the Liederkranz German Musical Society. Early in her career she had an extended engagement at the Lexington Hotel and also played in the original Broadway productions of “She Loves Me,” “The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd,” and “Walking Happy.”
Ms. Corsi toured the country throughout her career as both soloist and symphonic harpist in association with leading musicians and conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Charles Munch, Leopold Stokowski, Pablo Casals and Beverly Sills.
She is survived by her aunt Mary and several cousins.
Herbert Garber
Herbert Garber, 83, a retired Local 802 member who joined in 1946, died on Sept. 11.
Dr. Garber, a violinist, violist, pianist, conductor and music educator, attended Juilliard, NYU and Columbia, where he earned his doctorate in music education.
After returning from service in World War II, Dr. Garber studied violin with Theodore Pashkus and conducting with Leon Barzin. He served as assistant conductor to Barzin at the New York City Ballet. After playing violin in “Teahouse of the August Moon” for its entire run in New York, he then conducted the show for its tour to Boston and Chicago.
Later, he joined the Hartford String Quartet as second violinist and served as the assistant conductor and an assistant concertmaster in the Hartford Symphony under Fritz Mahler.
That was followed by an engagement as associate conductor and violist in the Tulsa Philharmonic under Vladimir Golschman in Tulsa, Okla. Over the years, he was sought out by professional conductors for coaching and instruction.
In 1965, Dr. Garber joined the music faculty of Wilkes University (then Wilkes College) where he served as a string and conducting teacher until 1987, when he became Professor Emeritus.
Dr. Garber is survived by his wife Jeannette, daughters Sharon and Laura, brother Morris, sister Naomi, two granddaughters, and nieces and nephews.
Tommy Mitchell
Tommy Mitchell, 76, a bass trombonist and a retired member of Local 802, died on May 30.
Mr. Mitchell, who joined 802 in 1948, was a busy recording musician from the 1950’s through the late 1980’s. He recorded with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Cannonball Adderley, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Coleman Hawkins, Jimmy Smith, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday.
He played on two classic trombone albums, Urbie Green’s “Twenty-one Trombones,” and J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding’s “Jay and Kai + 6.”
Mr. Mitchell began his career playing on the road with Sam Donahue, Tex Beneke, Ray McKinley and the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra. He settled in New Jersey and was hired for the Sid Caesar Show. He also was a staff musician at ABC performing on such shows as the “Voice of Firestone,” the “Jimmy Dean Show,” and the “Dick Cavett Show.”
He is survived by his wife Simi, sisters Catherine and Winifred, son Tommy Jr. and grandchildren Sean and Summer.
Alexander Williams
Alexander Williams, 96, a clarinetist and a former member of Local 802, died on June 13.
Mr. Williams joined the New York Symphony in 1924, under Walter Damrosch. In 1928 he became a member of the New York Philharmonic under Arturo Toscanini.
Mr. Williams played with the Philharmonic until 1948, when he joined the NBC Symphony as solo clarinetist, again under Toscanini.
He is survived by his wife Frances Blaisdell, who is a concert flutist and also a former member of Local 802. Mr. Williams is also survived by his daughter Alexandra, son John, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Edward Zandy
Edward Zandy, 83, a trumpeter and a Local 802 member since 1940, died on Aug. 23.
Mr. Zandy was a trumpet player in the second Glenn Miller Orchestra, formed in 1938. The orchestra – which would later include Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ray Eberle, Paul Tanner, Johnny Best, Hal McIntyre and Al Klink – broke attendance records all up and down the East Coast.
Mr. Zandy, a veteran of World War II, also played with Ina Ray Hutton, Claude Thornhill, Skitch Henderson and the Gene Krupa bands.
Since 1968, he had lived in the Bahamas. One of his last performances was with the Apple Elliot Ensemble in the Bahamas.
He is survived by his sister Sylvia, sister-in-law Virginia, four nieces and nephews, eight great-nieces and nephews, two great-great-nephews and several cousins.