OBITUARIES

NORMAN CAROL

Norman Carol, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra for nearly 30 years, died on 28 April 2024 at the age of 95. He also taught for 35 years at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Born on 1 July 1928 in Philadelphia to Russian immigrants Anna and Max Carol, he began his violin studies aged six with Sascha Jacobinoff, following in the footsteps of his older sister, who also played the instrument. Aged nine he performed his first concert, and at thirteen he was invited to attend Curtis, where he studied with Efrem Zimbalist. He served as the concertmaster of the student orchestra at Tanglewood from 1946 to 1947.

After graduating from Curtis he embarked on a solo career and recorded a recital for RCA in 1954. He joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra under conductors Serge Koussevitzsky and Charles Munch.

Carol was drafted in the US Army for the Korean War. After his discharge in 1955 he became concertmaster of the New Orleans Symphony and subsequently the Minneapolis Symphony, where he premiered Polish–American conductor and composer Stanisław Skrowaczewski’s Violin Concerto.

He joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as concertmaster in 1966 at the invitation of Eugene Ormandy, serving until 1994. He performed solos with the orchestra nearly every season, including works by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch, Nielsen, Harrison, Britten and Bernstein.

‘Norman’s passing is the end of an era in our history,’ the orchestra said in a statement. ‘We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and students. He will be remembered not only as a consummate musician but also as a gifted and devoted leader of the orchestra and as a mentor and friend to many.’

‘He was a great concertmaster because he was a great leader of people, a great diplomat, a direct and unrelenting defender of tradition and reason,’ said violinist Paul Arnold. ‘I will always miss Norman’s impact on my life in the orchestra, and his unique and character-filled way of defining our traditions.’

Carol returned to his alma mater Curtis to teach orchestral repertoire from 1979 to 2014. After he retired from the Philadelphia Orchestra, he taught, performed, and recorded with the Philadelphia Piano Quartet. He played on a 1743 Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin that formerly belonged to Albert Spalding.

WERNER HINK

Austrian violinist Werner Hink died on 21 May 2024. He was 81 years old. Hink was born on 18 March 1943 in Vienna. He received his first lessons at the Vienna Conservatorium from Luise Bilek, and studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts with Franz Samohyl, a former concertmaster of the Vienna State Opera.

Hink first served as a member of the Vienna State Opera orchestra from 1964, before joining the Vienna Philharmonic in 1965 as a first violinist. He became concertmaster in 1974 and served until his retirement in October 2008. From 1974 he was a member of the Vienna Court Orchestra.

As a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Hink formed the Vienna String Quartet with members of the orchestra, recording for RCA and Camerata from 1973.

In 1982 he succeeded his former teacher Samohyl as professor at the Vienna Conservatorium. He was an influential teacher at the Pacific Music Festival (PMF) in Sapporo, Japan, where he taught from 1991 to 2010.

‘His impact on PMF was indelible,’ said a PMF statement, ‘influencing generations of Academy musicians as a faculty member of PMF Vienna. His performances captivated audiences as a soloist and chamber musician in addition to his orchestra playing. We will forever be grateful for his immeasurable contributions to PMF.’

Hink’s honours include the Cross of Honour for Science and Art, first class, and the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria.

PAUL PHILLIPS

US violinist Paul Phillips died on 27 March 2024 at his home in Chicago following a long illness. The 77-year-old was a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 40 years from 1980 until his retirement in 2020.

Phillips was born in Canton, OH, and began studying the violin at the age of four after his father showed him an old instrument retrieved from his family’s closet. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying violin and chamber music with William Kroll of the Kroll Quartet, Endre Granat of the Cleveland Orchestra and Donald Weilerstein of the Cleveland Quartet.

Prior to joining the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Phillips became a member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1968, where he regularly performed as a member of the Indianapolis Quartet. He joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra four years later in 1972.

Phillips joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1980 at the invitation of music director Georg Solti, where he served in the first violin section until his retirement in 2020. He was a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Alumni Association and served as its president.

As a chamber musician, Phillips collaborated regularly with flautist Donald Peck and pianist Melody Lord, as well as ensembles such as the Gold Coast Chamber Players, Chicago Nine Ensemble, Ensemble à Corde, Chicago Pro Musica, the Chicago Symphony Quartet and Music of the Baroque. For many years he performed on a violin made in 1760 by the Neapolitan luthier Giuseppe Gagliano.