“The late Atlanta Symphony Orchestra bassist Jane Little, who died May 15 after passing out onstage during the last seconds of the orchestra’s encore, was celebrated Sunday as an ‘indomitable’ spirit, during a special memorial concert by the orchestra and the ASO Chorus,” writes Bo Emerson in Tuesday’s (5/24) Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Little was 87 years old when she died, and had been playing with the ASO longer than any professional musician has ever played with a single orchestra. She started in 1945, at age 16, and continued through the next 71 years, despite being plagued lately with … a broken vertebra and multiple myeloma. The myeloma, a blood cancer for which she was being treated with chemotherapy, didn’t slow her down, said fellow ASO bassist Michael Kurth, who described her attitude as ‘resilience bordering on indestructibility.’ … A highlight of Sunday’s event was a performance of the old Jo Stafford hit, ‘I’ll Be Seeing You,’ arranged by Kurth for seven bassists.… The orchestra and 106 members of the ASO Chorus performed sacred and secular music.… On Friday the city of Atlanta gave Little the Phoenix Award, the highest honor given by the city. Also, a position in the bass section was named in her honor.”
Posted May 24, 2016
Jane Little photo by J.D. Scott
