Neville Francis Amadio AM

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(15 February 191329 May 2006) was an Australian

flautist 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 reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

who played with the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra that was initially formed in 1908. Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been its home concert hall. Simone Young is the orchestra's chief conductor and firs ...

and its predecessors for over 50 years. The conductor

Sir Charles Mackerras file:Sir Charles Mackerras.jpg, Mackerras in 2005 Sir Alan Charles MacLaurin Mackerras (; 1925 2010) was an Australian conducting, conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Leoš Janáček, Janáček and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart, a ...

once said that Amadio was "without doubt, the greatest flautist the world produced in the 20th century".Sydney Morning Herald, 30 May 2006
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Early life and career

Amadio was born into a musical family in 1913. He studied at the Fort Street Boys' High School and the NSW State Conservatorium of Music (later known as the Sydney Conservatorium of Music). He was taught the flute by his uncle, the notable flautist

John Amadio John Amadio (15 November 1883 – 4 April 1964) was an Australian flute player, born in New Zealand, who performed with orchestras around the world and made a career as an international soloist and operatic accompanist. "He owed the beginnings of ...

(1893–1964), whose second wife was the soprano

Florence Austral Florence Austral (26 April 1892 – 15 May 1968) was an Australian operatic soprano renowned for her interpretation of the most demanding Wagnerian female roles, although she never gained the opportunity to appear at the Bayreuth Festival or New ...

Musical career

In 1928, when he was only 14 years old, he started playing with the 2FC Broadcasting Orchestra, which had only eight members. Amadio said of his early days "We were expected to play virtually everything, from salon music to reduced versions of the

1812 Overture ''The Year 1812, Solemn Overture'', Op. 49, popularly known as the ''1812 Overture'', is a concert overture in E major written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to commemorate the successful Russian defense against Napoleon ...

". By the time the 2FC Broadcasting Orchestra had become the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Symphony Orchestra in 1934, Amadio was principal flautist (at age 21), and he retained this position when the orchestra later became the

, until his retirement in 1978. He served 50 years with the orchestra in its various forms. Visiting conductors such as

George Szell George Szell (; June 7, 1897 – July 30, 1970), originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer. He is widely considered one of the twentieth century's greatest condu ...

, Sir

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Roya ...

and

Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association wit ...

invited him to join their orchestras. He also worked as a soloist in many concerts both in Australia and internationally including at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

in London. He was also a popular

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

ian, being a founding member of

Musica Viva Australia Musica Viva was founded in 1945 by Romanian-born violinist Richard Goldner, with the aim of bringing chamber music to Australia. The co-founder was a German-born musicologist, Walter Dullo. At its inception, Musica Viva was a string ensemble perf ...

and the Sydney Wind Quintet. He made numerous recordings both as a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and with his chamber music groups. He was the first classical musician to play with a jazz band in Sydney. He was also the professor of flute at the NSW Conservatorium of Music for a number of years. For his services to music, in 1969 he was made a

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, and in 1981 a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).It's an Honour: AM
/ref> All of his brothers became professional musicians. Clive Amadio (1904–83) was a clarinettist and saxophonist who founded the Clive Amadio Quintet, and presented a Sunday evening radio program ''The Clive Amadio Half Hour'' for over ten years until 1958; Harry Amadio was a French horn player; and Leon Amadio was a trumpeter. Neville Amadio died aged 93 on 29 May 2006, after a series of

heart attacks A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tra ...

References

* Crown Content ''Who's Who in Australia 2006'' North Melbourne page 134
''Sydney Morning Herald'' "20th century's greatest flautist" 30 May 2006 retrieved 31 May 2006

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amadio, Neville 1913 births 2006 deaths Australian classical flautists Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni Academic staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Members of the Order of Australia Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century Australian musicians 20th-century flautists