Fenwick Smith (1949 – July 19, 2017) was an American

flutist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with Reed (instrument), reeds, a fl ...

. He studied under

Joseph Mariano Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

, graduating from there in 1972. Shortly thereafter he became a member of the New England Woodwind Quintet and began a thirteen-year membership with

Boston Musica Viva Boston Musica Viva is a Boston, Massachusetts-based music ensemble founded by its Music Director, Richard Pittman, in 1969 and dedicated to contemporary music. Composers and compositions In its 44-year history, Boston Musica Viva has performed m ...

. He became the assistant principal flutist of the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

in 1978, serving in that position until September 2006. During this time he was also principal flutist of the

Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...

. Smith was also a member of the

Boston Chamber Music Society The Boston Chamber Music Society (BCMS) is an American organization of musicians located in Boston, Massachusetts and dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. The organization performs works from the Baroque era to the present da ...

since 1984, and since 1983 gave annual recitals at

Jordan Hall Jordan Hall is a 1,051-seat concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts, the principal performance space of the New England Conservatory. It is one block from Boston's Symphony Hall. It is the only conservatory building in the United States to be de ...

. Smith had a reputation for playing new works and has notably made numerous premiere recordings of works by composers like Copland, Foote, Gaubert,

Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography Ginastera was born in Buen ...

, Koechlin, Dahl, Harbison,

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...

, Pinkham,

Erwin Schulhoff Erwin Schulhoff ( cs, Ervín Šulhov; 8 June 189418 August 1942) was an Austro-Czech composer and pianist. He was one of the figures in the generation of European musicians whose successful careers were prematurely terminated by the rise of the N ...

, Schoenberg,

Ned Rorem Ned Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was the leading American of his time writing in the genre. Althou ...

, and Reinecke.

Recordings

*Schulhoff & Schoenberg - Chamber Works: Schoenberg: Sonata after the Wind Quintet, Op. 26, Schulhoff: Sonata for Flute and Piano, Concertino for flute, viola & double bass. Fenwick Smith (flute) & Randall Hodkinson (piano) (Chandos CHAN10515) * Reinecke - From the Cradle to the Grave : Reinecke: Octet for Flute, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns and 2 Bassoons, Op. 216, Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe, Op. 202, Sextet in B flat major, Op. 271. Fenwick Smith (flute), Keisuke Wakao (oboe), Thomas Martin (clarinet), Craig Nordstrom (clarinet), Jonathan Menkis (horn), Daniel Katzen (horn), Richard Ranti (bassoon), Roland Small (bassoon) & Hugh Hinton (piano) Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Naxos 8570777) * Gaubert - Works for flute : 2 CD collection with the whole music for flute from Philippe Gaubert. Sally Pinkas, Andrew Pearce (cello), Jacques Zoon, Jayne West, Anne Hobson Pilot, Malcolm Lowe (Naxos, 2004)

References

External links

Fenwick Smith's own website

Article: "Fanfare for Two Flutes" The Boston Phoenix
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Fenwick 1949 births 2017 deaths American classical flautists Eastman School of Music alumni New England Conservatory faculty 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century flautists