Friends are reporting the death of Donald McInnes, influential performer and teacher.
With an international career, he was long associated with the University of Southern California in Los Angeles at the Thornton School of Music. He was also Barbra Streisand’s go-to violist.
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Dear Don, I feel so honoured to have studied with you, to have been your friend and colleague and to have had shared our friends, students and families. You will be deeply missed by many.
A true artist who as a teacher was one of the few who could mix method with magic; an inspiration for many generations to come
RIP
A great viola player but his recordings are few. Also, he seemed not to play very much in Europe. A great pity
I remember him fondly from my three summers at the Music Academy of the West (82, 83 and 84). He was well liked and very encouraging to me personally. His many performances were always superb. I remember particularly a Sinfonia Concertante with my teacher Zvi Zeitlin in 83.
I remember him telling the story of turning pages for Oistrach’s pianist at a concert in his youth. Expecting to hear the glorious violin sound one heard in the concert hall and recordings, all he heard were scratches and explosive bow attacks. A wake-up moment! I have often related this story to my students.
Rest in peace!
Which Oistrach thus which pianist…did not V.Hoch….find Igor one at short notice…surely not Moore ?
Hi Frank. It was Oistrach senior. No idea who the pianist may have been, sorry. Cheers.
@ Ricardo.
I have heard a very similar story about Jascha Heifetz!
Why did they do this? Easy! The people on the back rows have paid to come in too!
I’ll never forget one particular lesson when I was totally unprepared. It was a Wednesday evening. I was 17. Early Sunday morning I had received a phone call with tragic news: my father had died. I took a red eye to the east coast, attended the funeral Monday afternoon, and flew back to California Tuesday morning. (the reasons for being in a hurry belong to another story).
As my classmate packed up, I stood to the side of the piano. As she left I noticed Mr. McInnes walked her to the door. I finished taking out my instrument and I turned around. With his blue eyes teary, he offered his condolences and gave me a hug.
—I hadn’t processed the previous four days, but for some reason, probably the comfort of routine, I wanted to be at that lesson—
We spoke for about half the lesson, and he started a number of stories with me, that reflected life and emotions…and Hindemith(!).
He wasn’t usually so “soft,” but that day he helped me prepare for what would be realizations that were difficult to accept about life.
Thank you, Mr. McInnes.
I had the pleasure of performing several chamber music concerts w Don in LA back in the day. As I remember John Perry was also playing- quite an honor for me. And some fun shows. RIP Don, a real teacher for me in many ways.
I met Don in 1977 when he came to the Oklahoma Symphony [where I was assistant conductor] to play the William Schuman Concerto on Old English Rounds and give a master class. Enormously impressed with him as man and artist, I had the opportunity to invite him to perform with me in Tulsa [where I was Music Director] a few years later, offering the challenge of playing the Walton concerto and Berlioz’ “Harold in Italy” back to back…he acquitted himself magnificently. I’ve rarely seen or heard him since, much to my regret. Our musical world is impoverished with his departure.
Mr. McInnes led the crown-jewel of a viola studio at the Music Academy of the West. If memory serves, a 15-year-old student of his won the fiercely contested 1989 MAW Concerto Competition with the Walton. The MAW Festival orchestra’s viola section was an “An Army of Generals” and I have just recalled that Mr. McInnes played Berlioz “Harold en Italie” in 1989 with Lawrence Leighton-Smith conducting. I sat in the middle of the orchestra for the first rehearsal and was so moved in the first few minutes of the piece that only through a major effort was I able to play my first entrance. That was the only time “Harold en Italie” made any sense to me as an orchestral/concertante statement. The faculty at the MAW was a constellation of legendary artists and people came from all over the world to study with Mr. McInnes for very good reasons. I am truly saddened by his passing.