“Donald A. Shore, principal bassoonist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and the Washington National Opera Orchestra for 30 years, died Oct. 9 at his home in Washington,” writes Megan McDonough in Thursday’s (10/16) Washington Post. “The cause was brain cancer, said his brother, Tony Shore. At 23, Mr. Shore became one of the youngest members and principal musicians of the Kennedy Center’s Opera House Orchestra. There, he accompanied prestigious ballet organizations including the Bolshoi and Mariinsky ballets and performed in numerous concerts…. With the Washington National Opera, he collaborated with opera stars such as tenors Plácido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli. In the Washington area, he was principal bassoonist of the Wolf Trap Opera and the Post Classical Ensemble, and he performed with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and National Gallery Orchestra. Donald Allen Shore, a third-generation Washingtonian, was born Nov. 30, 1961…. He studied at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore before transferring to the University of Toronto, where he received a bachelor’s degree in music and bassoon performance in 1984. As a senior, he won the National Symphony Orchestra’s Young Soloists’ Competition.” Survivors include his companion of nine years, David Peiffer of Washington, brothers Tony Shore and Francis Shore III, and sisters Lynne Grace and K.C. Shore.
Posted October 20, 2014
