These we have lost in 2021
RIPYou can find a comprehensive catalogue of musical mortality by clicking the RIP button at the top right-hand corner of this page. Below, we list fifty of the saddest losses.
1 Composer Stephen Sondheim
2 Conductor Bernard Haitink
3 Soprano Edita Gruberova
4 Pianist Nelson Freire
5 Impresario Christopher Hunt
6 Sopran Aga Mikolaj
7 Pianist Max Olding
8 Administrator Chrissy Sharp
9 Soprano Joan Carlyle
10 Composer Udo Zimmerman
11 Chorister Emma Kerr
12 Concertmaster Carl Pini
13 Composer Alvin Lucier
14 Composer Luis de Pablo
15 Orchestra manager John Boyden
16 Met concertmaster Raymond Gniewek
17 Composer Carlisle Floyd
18 Soprano Karan Armstrong
19 Carnegie Hall greeter Debby King
20 Conductor Andras Ligeti
21 Violist Ron Ephrat
22 Wagnerian Norman Bailey
23 Opera translator Amanda Holden
24 Composer Mikis Theodorakis
25 Violinist Igor Oistrakh
26 Beatles harpist Sheila Bromberg
27 Composer Siegfried Matthus
28 Singer Don Everley
29 Conductor Michael Morgan
30 Record boss Walter Yetnikoff
31 Opera director Graham Vick
32 Writer Joyce Kennedy
33 Composer Louis Andriessen
34 Composer Frederic Rzewski
35 Tafelmusik founder Jeanne Lamon
36 Composer Cristóbal Halffter
37 Songwriter Franco Battiato
38 Curtis dean Robert Fitzpatrick
39 Lieder teacher Carolyn Hague
40 Critic Martin Bookspan
41-2 Composer Anthony Payne and his wife Jane Manning
43 Conductor Kazimierz Kord
44 Mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig
45 Balladeer Milva
46 Choreographer Liam Scarlett
47 Luthier Philippe Dupuy
48 Conductor James Levine
49 La Scala concertmaster Elena Taskova
50 Violinist Corinne Chapelle
So many… and some so painfully young. Victims of Covid, depression, cancer, injustice, accidents and other causes.
Zylis-gara
James Levine also died this year.
What an enormous loss of consumate artists rather than just competition winners, and they”re not really being replaced either in this new world we’re living in.
“Fifty of the saddest losses”, implies the others were insignificant. There are a lot of families grieving loved ones, some may have been unable to say their goodbyes in the way they wanted or didn’t get their last hug. Every death is sad, every life lost to whatever cause is tragic. Please show some sensitivity and respect, and stop trivialising the passing of individuals.
i’d rather they weren’t ranked in order of sadness.
Composer Gordon Crosse.
Thank you for letting me know about my Parisian violin maker Philippe Dupuis who was retiring in Avignon, France .
He introduced me to my 18th century cello, anonymous and to his protégé Bow maker Christophe Schaefer (which I have a couple of bows)
Philippe Dupuis was also the grand son of Eugène Sartory, famous French bow maker ! So many losses. The last I checked a couple of years ago with Christophe, Philippe was still alive and well. RIP