Marlboro mourns cornerstone figure

Anthony Checchia, who played a vital role at Marlboro Music for nhalf a century, died this weekend, aged 94. His is survived by his wife, soprano Benita Valente and their son Peter.

From the Marlboro obit:
Checchia first attended Marlboro in 1956 as a bassoonist, one of an exceptional group of young woodwind players. In 1958, Rudolf Serkin asked Checchia to take on the administrative leadership of Marlboro. Over the years, he worked tirelessly to advance its mission and ideals, working with such eminent resident artists as Pablo Casals, Marcel Moyse, Felix Galimir, Alexander Schneider, Leon Fleisher, Richard Goode, Eugene Istomin, Mitsuko Uchida, and members of the Guarneri and Juilliard String Quartets and Beaux Arts Trio.
 
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Checchia co-created the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society to ensure the city would be a regular destination for leading musicians. From the outset, the goal was to create an organization that would maintain the highest artistic standards; open doors to classical music for all audiences through low ticket prices and a welcoming environment; and present artists of diverse nationalities, ethnicities, and perspectives. Today, under the artistic leadership of Miles Cohen, PCMS presents 50 performances annually. Checchia also established PCMS as a leading proponent of composers and new music; to date, it has commissioned more than 100 works by composers including William Bolcom, Jennifer Higdon, Leon Kirchner, Shulamit Ran, Bernard Rands, George Rochberg, Gunther Schuller, Ralph Shapey, Melinda Wagner, Richard Wernick, and Ellen Taft Zwilich.