Life Member. Bass
(11/7/1917 – 7/15/2015)
by Glenn A. Mitchell, Life Member, Local 47
Howard Rumsey was a true jazz music entrepreneur. He was also the last survivor of the original Stan Kenton Orchestra playing upright contra bass. Rumsey passed away July 15, 2015, at age of 97 years. Continue reading
Life Member. Violin
(9/7/1922 – 6/2/2015)
by Susan Chatman
Violinist Arnold Belnick, soloist and studio musician, made his transition in Granada Hills on June 2, 2015. He was 92 years old. A New York native and child prodigy since the age of 4, Arnold won his first major American competition at the age of 15 and played his concert debut in Town Hall. Hailed as a “young Joseph Sziget,” Arnold was a featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic and gained critical acclaim after he recorded for Columbia Records. Continue reading
Life Member. Piano
10/17/1916 – 3/2/2015
by Jacqueline Rankin, daughter
Esther Klein Roth, a classical pianist and long-time life member of Local 47, died March 2, 2015, at the age of 98. Esther was a child prodigy whose teachers included Olga Steeb, Alfred Mirovitch, and Alexis Kall. Josef Hofmann, the eminent pianist and director of the Curtis Institute of Music heard her play and urged her to attend the Institute, but she had to pass up this opportunity because of the hard economic times. Continue reading