“Cellist Lynn Harrell, one of the finest and most prominent American classical musicians of his generation, has died. He was 76 years old,” writes Anastasia Tsioulcas on Tuesday (4/28) at National Public Radio. “His death was announced by his wife, violinist Helen Nightengale, on social media. She did not disclose the cause of his death…. He made his debut at Carnegie Recital Hall … at age 20 in 1964…. Harrell was … the son of two notable musicians: baritone Mack Harrell, a regular presence at the Metropolitan Opera for many years, and violinist Marjorie McAlister Fulton…. Both his parents died when he was just a teenager…. He landed a job in the cello section of the Cleveland Orchestra [and] was the orchestra’s principal cellist from 1964 to 1971.… His complete discography spans more than two dozen … recordings…. He taught [at] London’s Royal Academy of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Juilliard, the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He also served as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, a summer training program…. Ten years ago, he and Nightengale founded the HEARTbeats Foundation, a non-profit organization that ‘strives to help children in need harness the power of music to better cope with, and recover from, the extreme challenges of poverty and conflict.’ ”
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