Fenwick Smith, second flutist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, “was also known for his prowess as a craftsman, building his own flutes and transforming the Masonic Temple in Roslindale into a recording studio and living quarters,” writes Bryan Marquard in Thursday’s (7/27) Boston Globe. He died July 19 of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at age 68. “To many music lovers, his annual flute recital was a sign that autumn’s classical music concerts had begun…. He built the flute he played and nearly single-handedly constructed a summer house … a few miles from Tanglewood. Mr. Smith … last performed with the BSO in August 2006…. Mr. Smith grew up in Medford (Mass.) [and] graduated in 1972 from the Eastman School of Music…. As a teenager, Mr. Smith worked building flutes for Verne Q. Powell Flutes … [and joined] the BSO in 1978…. He also had been first flute with the Boston Pops, and earlier … was a member of the New England Woodwind Quintet…. [He] also had been a member of Boston Musica Viva, a contemporary-music ensemble, and was the founding flutist of the Boston Chamber Music Society…. At New England Conservatory, Mr. Smith was a studio teacher and chamber music coach.” He leaves no immediate survivors.
Posted July 28, 2017
