Local 802 member Avron Coleman (1930-2026)

Avron R. Coleman of Warwick, New York, passed away on July 15, 2026, at Westchester Medical Center at the age of 95. He had been a member of Local 802 since 1949. A native New Yorker, Mr. Coleman was born in Brooklyn on Nov. 21, 1930 and was the son of Albert and Esther (née Ershowsky) Coleman.

Mr. Coleman attended both Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music, where he received scholarships to study the cello. Mr. Coleman had the privilege of claiming as teachers the distinguished Hermann Busch, Leonard Rose, Bernard Greenhouse, and Emil Hauser, founder of the original Budapest String Quartet.

Mr. Coleman began his artistic career with the Minneapolis Symphony under Antal Dorati. Returning to New York, Coleman worked with the Radio City Music Hall orchestra. He then served with the New York Philharmonic for ten years during Leonard Bernstein’s tenure. After resigning his position with the Philharmonic, he continued to participate, by invitation, in the Philharmonic’s annual tours to Russia, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, working as a substitute cellist under Zubin Mehta and Kurt Mazur. During his long musical career, Coleman had the privilege of serving with the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold  Stokovsky. He also served for a period of time with the New York City Opera.

In addition to serving as principal cellist with the Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra, Mr. Coleman was the principal cellist for the American Ballet Theater, The Martha Graham Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada. He travelled on tour with these major ballet companies and orchestras throughout North America, Europe, and the Near and Far East.

While enjoying the flexibility of freelance work, Mr. Coleman performed with numerous Broadway shows, including  “Hello, Dolly!” He also enjoyed success in the commercial and pop world. He played with the Frank Sinatra orchestras and recorded an excerpt of the Vivaldi cello concerto for the soundtrack of the 1995 vampire horror film “The Addiction.”

A zeal for chamber music, nurtured at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, led to his playing in numerous ensembles (Trio Cantilena, Degen Quartet, Princeton String Quartet, The Berkshire Chamber Players, The Knickerbocker Players, The Rachmaninoff Trio). In addition, he has performed as soloist in concerto and duo-sonata programs.

Locally, Mr. Coleman performed a benefit concert with colleagues of the New York Philharmonic to raise funds for the Warwick Valley Humane Society. He was also a guest artist for a performance with the Monroe-Woodbury School’s orchestra. He performed for church services in the Hudson Valley, in addition to ensemble and orchestral performances throughout the tri-state area. Throughout his career, Mr. Coleman made recordings with the orchestras and chamber ensembles of which he was a member.

His passion for expressing musical grammar and musical sentence structure was all-consuming. He enjoyed teaching, instilling in his students self-discipline, while nurturing creativity and independent thinking. His life was a life well-lived, filled with the joy of beautiful, harmonious sound.

In 2002, he was the subject of a 10-minute tribute documentary entitled “The Cellist” by director Frank Mosley.

For many years, Mr. Coleman served on the board of the Local 802 Senior Musicians Association, which organizes the Senior Concert Orchestra and helps produce its annual concert at Carnegie Hall.

On a personal level, everyone loved Avron, including his family, friends, colleagues and neighbors. He had a gift for making a person feel as though they were the most important person in the world. His infectious storytelling, humor, thirst for knowledge, zest for life, and humility will always be remembered and cherished. Those who knew him are blessed to have been graced by his generous, kind and loving spirit.

Avron Coleman is survived and missed by his beloved wife and dearest friend, Jacquelyn J. Pruiksma; nephews Robert Hoffman and Kenneth Hoffman; and the Pruiksma and Veit families. He is also survived by his beloved pets: cats Willow Thomas and Noël Hopkins; and Coby (a/k/a King Cobra) a rescued and retired racing greyhound. Mr. Coleman was predeceased by his parents, sister Diana Hoffman and brother Shepard Coleman.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Avron’s memory to the Warwick Valley Humane Society, (http://www.wvhumane.org) or Greyhound Rescue and Rehabilitation (http://greyhoundrescuerehab.org) would be deeply appreciated.

Obituary submitted by Mr. Coleman’s family.