OBITUARIES

JAAKKO KUUSISTO

Violinist, conductor and composer Jaakko Kuusisto died on 2 3 February aged 4 8. He was the chief conductor of the Kuopio City Orchestra from 2018 and composed more than 40 works, including his own operas, which he conducted at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, the Finnish National Opera and the Ilmajoki Music Festival.

Born in 1974, Kuusisto began playing the violin with his younger brother Pekka at a young age, enjoying national success. He won joint first prize at the 1989 Kuopio Violin Competition and was a finalist at the 1990 International Sibelius Violin Competition. Jaakko and Pekka both studied with Miriam Fried at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and after reaching the finals of the 1997 Queen Elisabeth Competition, Jaakko was offered the post of concertmaster of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. He remained in the role until 2012, performing often as a soloist with the ensemble, as well as leading the orchestra in several recordings.

As a conductor, Kuusisto worked with the Oulu Symphony from 2005 to 2009. His most recent opera Jää premiered in 2019 and was later revised for a smaller ensemble due to the pandemic. Kuusisto was also artistic director of the Tuusulanjärvi Chamber Music Festival with his brother from 1999 to 2006 and at the Oulu Music Festival from 2013 to 2021.

LESLIE PARNAS

The American cellist Leslie Parnas has d ied at the age of 90. He enjoyed a long musical career from the 1940s onwards. Born in 1931, he began learning the cello aged eight. He studied with Gregor Piatigorsky at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia from 1948 to 1953 and took first prizes at the Geneva and Munich international cello competitions, as well as the Pablo Casals Prize at the 1957 Paris International Cello Competition and second prize at the 1962 Tchaikovsky Competition.

As a soloist he performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow and Leningrad orchestras among others. He was a founder member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and performed as part of his trio with violinist James Buswell and Lee Luvisi.

From 1962 until his retirement, Parnas served on the faculty of Boston University School of Music. From 1973 to 1985 he served as the artistic director of the Kneisel Hall chamber music school and festival, and was a juror at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990 and 1995.

ROGER STIMSON

British violinist Roger Stimson died on 1 February at the age of 73. A former orchestral player, he devoted many of his later years to teaching, ensemble work, arranging and composing music. Born in 1948, Stimson began playing the violin aged 12. At 17 he began studies at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) where his tutor was Hugh Maguire. While there he became leader of both the RAM’s first orchestra and its chamber orchestra, as well as first violinist of a string quartet. He was awarded the RAM’s Orchestra Prize in his graduation year, and was soon accepted into both the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, where he served as a principal violinist.

Stimson later joined the Welsh National Opera orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He left orchestral playing in 1980 in favour of teaching, as well as writing his own music. In his career he also performed with chamber groups such as the Buonarotti String Trio, the Chandos Quartet and the Palm Court Theatre Orchestra Ensemble. From 2010 onwards he played in Fedora Strings, a chamber ensemble based in Peterborough. One of his most recent works was The Quest for the Golden Orchid, a children’s book for which he wrote a number of accompanying songs.

NORMAN ROSENBERG

British violin dealer Norman Rosenberg died on 17 February at the age of 95. For decades he was regarded as one of the leading experts on stringed instruments, with dealers and auction houses often trusting his judgement when it came to authenticity and certification. He was also an occasional writer for The Strad.

Born in Liverpool on 21 October 1926, Rosenberg was largely self-taught on the violin, using a copy of Flesch’s The Art of Violin Playing. He moved to London aged 22 where he led both the Wembley Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ben Uri Orchestra. He turned down offers to tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with Bruno Mantovani, as he did not enjoy travelling, and preferred his life dealing with musical instruments.

As a violin dealer, Rosenberg was consulted by many auction houses on the identity of instruments they were selling. Musicians would visit to discuss methods of playing different instruments, and he helped many young players by lending them instruments at the start of their careers. He also often invited friends to his house to play quartets and trios.

ALLEN WHEAR

American Baroque cellist and viola da gamba specialist Allen Whear died on 10 February aged 64. Born in 1957, he studied at the New England Conservatory with Laurence Lesser, and at the Juilliard School with Claus Adam. He also obtained a doctorate from Rutgers University and spent time working with Anner Bylsma in Amsterdam.

Whear was associate principal cellist of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra from 2000 and was principal cellist and recital director of the Carmel Bach Festival in California. He taught Baroque cello, bass and viola da gamba at the University of North Texas College of Music from 2010 to 2022.