Houston mourns ex-principal clarinet
RIPRichard William Pickar, Music Director of the Galveston Symphony Orchestra for 33 years (1979-2012) and principal clarinetist with the Houston Symphony Orchestra for 31 years (1959 -1990), died on Thursday, October 3, 2024, in Houston, Texas. He was 92.
From his obituary: He was born December 16, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois to Rachel Hinda Smith, an accomplished violinist who came to the US from Lithuania to attend the New England Conservatory of Music. Richard’s father, George Harrison Pickar, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and led a distinguished career as law professor.
In Vienna Richard graduated with highest honors from the Akademie fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst. While a student in Vienna, Richard performed with friend and classmate, Zubin Mehta. In 1957, he was engaged as principal clarinet of the Philharmonia Hungarica. In 1959, at the request of conductor Leopold Stokowski, Richard accepted the position of principal clarinet of the Houston Symphony.
From an era when musicians were qualified by their musical experience and artistry, and not their ability to manipulate in order to gain advantage. I hate this modern woke degenerate leftist true believing blind sheep world we’ve made for ourselves. *spit*
What in the world are you talking about!??
So sad to hear. Such a fixture in the scene for so many years.
I studied with him one summer at Stetson University where he taught as part of a festival run by Geoffrey Gilbert, the famous flute player. Learned a great deal from him. RIP
There is still a “Richard” Pic’r in the orchestra…perhaps in a different section.
What do you mean?