Youth orchestras mourn longterm leader
mainRobert Genualdi, music director of the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras in Connecticut for three decades, has died aged 84.
He also appeared frequently with the New Haven and Greenwich symphony orchestras.
His successor Chris Hisey writes:
Bob along with his wife, Dorothy Straub are responsible for the music education scene in this part of the country. Bob, who studied at Northwestern University as a bassist, educator and conductor, started his career teaching band and orchestra in the public schools. In the late 70s he became the Music Director of the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras, a post he would hold for more than 30 years. He was a major influence in the lives of hundreds of young musicians, and played a major role in the musician and educator I am today. In addition to his role with the youth orchestras he served as the head master for both Staples High School and Fairfield High School and at one point served as head master to both schools simultaneously. To give you a further sense of his dedication to children and the teaching of the art of music, he taught private lessons, free of charge to those who could not afford to pay, on any instrument with which they needed help.
I grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and the youth music scene there burned with idealism and talent because of the dedication of people like Bob and his wife Dorothy Straub (an extraordinary woman) and the Westport teacher John Hanulik (whose son Chris became the co-principal bassist of the L.A.Phil.) Without them, I don’t know if I would be in the classical music field today.