An unsigned article in Thursday’s (1/25) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra held a musical tribute to former PSO Principal Flute Bernard Goldberg on January 27 at Heinz Hall. Goldberg, who died in November at age 94, was the orchestra’s principal flute from 1946 to 1993. “Mr. Goldberg taught for years at Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Brooklyn College in New York City. He co-founded the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra … and premiered works by many of the world’s leading composers, including Leonard Bernstein, Virgil Thompson, John Williams, Frank Martin and others…. ‘Bernie was an incredibly special person, a real legend in the flute world,’ [current PSO Principal Flute Lorna] McGhee said. ‘He was probably the last flutist alive to have studied with [Georges] Barrere.’ Mr. Barrere is notable for bringing the Paris Conservatoire woodwind tradition to the United States in the early 1900s. Mr. Goldberg studied at Juilliard with Marcel Moyse before joining the Cleveland Orchestra as principal flute in 1945. Two years later, he won the same position in the PSO under Fritz Reiner…. Mr. Goldberg was one of the founders of the National Flute Association…. Mr. Goldberg was known for his generosity and … often … taught lessons free of charge.”
Posted January 29, 2018
