It has come to my attention that James R. Smith, former principal trumpet of the Oregon Symphony, died last night (January 3rd). Smith played during the Bloomfield, Belugi, and Singer eras and sat next to John Trudeau, former principal trombonist. He also toured with Robert Shaw.
Jim actually passed quickly and without pain on the 2nd. His last evening was spent watching a great dvd of Kurt Masur conducting Brahms' Fourth Symphony with the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and also listening to the Shaw recording of the Messiah on which he was a soloist. He played his horn from the age of 8 up until the last week of his life. There will be a small service here in Cannon Beach soon, and we will take some time to put together a tribute in late spring or early summer at a larger venue that will be able to accommodate lots of music. Thanks for mentioning him - Laurel
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update Laurel. Please keep us posted regarding the memorial.
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