“Stephen Goforth, principal trumpet player for the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra, was remembered as ‘a great teacher and a leader’ after his death Friday in an accident at his ranch,” reads an unsigned obituary in Wednesday’s (5/6) Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise (OK). “Goforth, 60, was clearing brush from a spillway pipe when he was pulled underwater and drowned, said Lauren Green, music director-conductor of the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra. ‘He had an extraordinary background—music was just one of them. He was sort of a renaissance man,’ Green said. Goforth was with the Bartlesville Symphony for more than 20 years. Green … performed in thousands of programs ranging from solo recitals to nursing home dinners. He played with church orchestras, full big bands, symphonies, small and large ensembles, and … collaborated with noted musicians such as Doc Severinsen, Arturo Sandoval, Bobby McFerrin and many others. He most recently was the principal trumpet player for both the Signature Symphony in Tulsa and the Bartlesville Community Orchestra. He [taught] at Oklahoma Baptist University and Oklahoma City University, leading regular master classes and clinics … and working with countless private students. He leaves behind his wife of 35 years, Sharon, two sons and a grandchild.”
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