“Adrian Da Prato, a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s violin section from 1946 until his retirement from the CSO in 1996, died Tuesday in Chicago, according to a statement released Wednesday by the orchestra,” reports John von Rhein in Thursday’s (3/20) Chicago Tribune. “He was 94. The Italian-born, Chicago-bred Da Prato was one of the longest-serving members of the orchestra, logging 49 years of service under seven music directors, from Desire Defauw to Daniel Barenboim. He was a violinist in the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Civic Orchestra of Chicago in 1946 when Defauw hired him.… Born in 1920 in the Tuscan region of Barga, Da Prato became fascinated with the sound of the violin while attending silent movies as a boy.… Da Prato began violin lessons at age 9 after his family arrived in America. In Chicago, he attended Lane Technical High School and the American Conservatory of Music.… His violin teachers included John Weicher, then concertmaster of the CSO.… He also was a member of the Chicago Strings, which toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, and performed in various chamber ensembles in the Chicago area.”
Posted March 23, 2015
