The Brooklyn native had the longest profession of any clarinetist in a serious orchestra, serving for 62 years
Stanley Drucker, who was a clarinetist within the New York Philharmonic for six many years, just lately handed away, aged 93. Of all the most important American orchestras, Drucker had one of many longest careers of any wind participant — giving over 10,000 performances and showing on a variety of recordings.
Born in Brooklyn to Austro-Hungarian mother and father, Drucker was initially impressed to take up the clarinet by Benny Goodman. On the age of 10, he went to study from Leon Russianoff, who taught at The Juilliard Faculty and on the Manhattan Faculty of Music. After simply six years of examine, Drucker received a spot within the Indianapolis Symphony, earlier than he had even completed highschool.
In 1948, on the age of 19, Drucker took up a spot within the New York Philharmonic as Assistant Principal, rising to the Principal submit in 1960. He was to remain there till his retirement on the conclusion of the 2008/2009 season, at which period he obtained a Guinness World Document for the longest profession as an orchestral clarinetist.
Alongside his spectacular performing profession, Drucker made a variety of achieved recordings. He was nominated for a Grammy on two separate events: for a recording of Copland’s Concerto for Clarinet, Strings, Harp and Piano (underneath Leonard Bernstein), and of John Corigliano’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (underneath Zubin Mehta) — a piece commissioned particularly for Drucker.
Drucker is survived by his spouse, Naomi Lewis, in addition to their two youngsters and two grandchildren. Our condolences to his household, pals, and colleagues.
“I’ll miss Stanley as a pal, a mentor who took dangers, a colleague who helped me acquire the boldness to be his alternative for 4 years when he retired after which go off to Principal within the Houston Symphony, and as a household man,” wrote Mark Nuccio, considered one of Drucker’s colleagues within the New York Philharmonic. “He was a really proud man that bled Blue and Purple (Buffet Clarinets and Vandoren Reeds) and was as loyal as they arrive.”
“He is a legend,” mentioned conductor Gustavo Dudamel of Drucker in 2007. “The historical past of the orchestra is in him.”
