Broadway and Met producer dies
RIPFriends are reporting the death of Jay David Saks, winner of 13 Grammy awards for recordings from Broadway, concert halls and the Metropolitan Opera. He was 79.
His Linkedin bio lists him as: Jay David Saks
Fully, utterly, happily retired. No professional position or activity. Thanks for understanding!!
After studies at Juilliard, Saks joined C olumbia Masterworks in 1977, moving seven years later to RCA. Over time he became a fixture in the sound booth at the Met.
Sad news and a loss for our field.
Jay was a great recording engineer and greater person.
Our paths crossed with the St. Louis Symphony.
He recorded many albums for RCA with the St. Louis Symphony.
His RCA recording of Prokofiev’s 5th Symphony with the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting, won the Grammy of best engineered and best orchestral performance.
In total, he won 13 Grammys with 53 nominations .
We kept contact during his years with the MET.
The Cinderella excerpts is also a winner, beautifully played and recorded..
What a privilege it was to record most of my RCA/BMG discs with Jay in the booth. He had a keen ear and a wonderful sense of humor. A true giant in the industry
The Linkedin bio says he graduated from Mannes. I knew him then as a student. Murray Perahia, a classmate, suggested that Jay go into the record business.
I knew Jay from my “Quiz” days on the Met broadcasts. Always thoughtful, always generous, and of course always more than competent at the board. And he never lost his sense of humor. I remain indebted to him for what he’s taught me. A wonderful human being!
Jay was the best of the best in the recording studio, in the broadcast tech booth and at table.
I worked with him closely for 10 years on the Met Saturday Broadcasts and he produced two of my CD projects. One a lieder album with Ben Heppner, the other the piano music of Virgil Thomson.
His ears were sterling. As were his personality and soul.