Fenwick Smith (1949 – July 19, 2017) was an American

flutist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

. He studied under Joseph Mariano at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

, graduating from there in 1972. Shortly thereafter he became a member of the New England Woodwind Quintet and began a thirteen-year membership with

Boston Musica Viva Boston Musica Viva is a Boston, Massachusetts-based music ensemble founded by its music director, Richard Pittman, in 1969 and dedicated to contemporary music. Composers and compositions In its 44-year history, Boston Musica Viva has performed mo ...

. He became the assistant principal flutist of the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

in 1978, serving in that position until September 2006. During this time he was also principal flutist of the

Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orc ...

. Smith was also a member of the

Boston Chamber Music Society The Boston Chamber Music Society (BCMS) is an American organization of musicians located in Boston, Massachusetts and dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. The organization performs works from the Baroque era to the present da ...

since 1984, and since 1983 gave annual recitals at

Jordan Hall Jordan Hall may refer to: People * Jordan Hall (writer), writer of the web series ''Carmilla'' * Jordan Hall (lacrosse) (born 1984), Canadian lacrosse player * Jordan Hall (basketball) (born 2002), American basketball player * Jordan Hall (Americ ...

. Smith had a reputation for playing new works and has notably made numerous premiere recordings of works by composers like

Copland Copland may refer to: * Copland (crater), on Mercury * Copland (operating system) * Copland (surname) * Copland River in New Zealand * 4532 Copland, an asteroid named after Aaron Copland * Aaron Copland, American composer See also * Copeland (dis ...

, Foote, Gaubert,

Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography Ginastera was born in Buenos A ...

, Koechlin, Dahl, Harbison,

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayi ...

, Pinkham,

Erwin Schulhoff Erwin Schulhoff (; 8 June 189418 August 1942) was an Austro-Czech composer and pianist. He was one of the figures in the generation of European musicians whose successful careers were prematurely terminated by the rise of the Nazi regime in Germ ...

Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-century classical music, ...

Ned Rorem Ned Miller Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and a writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was considered the leading American of his time writing i ...

, and

Reinecke Reinecke is a surname. Notable people with the name include * Carl Reinecke (1824–1910), German composer, pianist and conductor * Edwin Reinecke (1924– 2016), former Lieutenant Governor of California * Hans-Peter Reinecke (1941–2005), German ...

Recordings

*Schulhoff & Schoenberg - Chamber Works: Schoenberg: Sonata after the Wind Quintet, Op. 26, Schulhoff: Sonata for Flute and Piano, Concertino for flute, viola & double bass. Fenwick Smith (flute) & Randall Hodkinson (piano) (Chandos CHAN10515) * Reinecke - From the Cradle to the Grave : Reinecke: Octet for Flute, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns and 2 Bassoons, Op. 216, Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe, Op. 202, Sextet in B flat major, Op. 271. Fenwick Smith (flute), Keisuke Wakao (oboe), Thomas Martin (clarinet), Craig Nordstrom (clarinet), Jonathan Menkis (horn), Daniel Katzen (horn), Richard Ranti (bassoon), Roland Small (bassoon) & Hugh Hinton (piano) Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Naxos 8570777) * Gaubert - Works for flute : 2 CD collection with the whole music for flute from Philippe Gaubert. Sally Pinkas, Andrew Pearce (cello), Jacques Zoon, Jayne West, Anne Hobson Pilot, Malcolm Lowe (Naxos, 2004)

References

External links

*
Classics Online Fenwick Smith short biographyArticle: "Fanfare for Two Flutes" The Boston Phoenix
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Fenwick 1949 births 2017 deaths American classical flautists Eastman School of Music alumni New England Conservatory faculty 20th-century American classical musicians 20th-century American flautists