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*Binaural Soundclips, Must Use Headphones for best reproduction!: Obituaries: Advertiser Star-Bulletin more Haydn Divertimento: Excerpts: Allegro/0.7M ©1991 Dvorak Cello Concerto excerpt: Finale/1.7M ©1986 with Hawaii Philharmonic LaMarchina Links: EJMCC Aida HOT Slonimsky Baldwin New!!! (1/1/04) Tim Janof's superb biography!! on Cello.org Coming soon: My personal memories
Most Hawaii concertgoers know Robert LaMarchina from his 12 years
as music director of the Honolulu
Symphony and the Hawaii
Opera Theatre. In addition, LaMarchina has enjoyed such honors
as serving as music director and conductor of the Metropolitan
Opera National Company and guest conducting stints with the Fujiwara
Opera of Japan, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Center
Opera and numerous other companies.
A gifted cellist, LaMarchina debuted at the age of eight with
the St. Louis Symphony under Vladimir Golschmann. A recipient
of a scholarship from the Paris Conservatoire de Musique, he later
returned to Philadelphia to study with Reuermann and Piatigorsky
at the Curtis Institute of Music. Among his many other accomplishments
is the unique honor of, at 16 years, being the youngest member
of the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini. He later
joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as solo cellist.
After an appointment as solo
cellist with the Chicago Symphony, he received a Ford Grant
for conductors and studied at Peabody Conservatory. Among the
major American orchestras with which LaMarchina has appeared is
the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Chicago Symphony,
and St. Louis Symphony. In 1979, LaMarchina received the rare
opportunity of being invited by the United States Department of
State to conduct several Soviet orchestras. More recently, LaMarchina
has toured the mainland and Canada conducting various opera companies,
and has conducted master classes at the University of Indiana.
I am a great fan of Mr. LaMarchina. Indeed, I believe he is one
of the world's most outstanding cellists alive today! (When I
originally wrote the above biography, I said he was the world's
best cellist. He crossed it out and wrote what I have above.)
I have made many recordings of his music in glorious 3D binaural
sound! It is my dream to one day produce a compact disc set featuring
his works. Email me if you are interested in being notified of
its availability.
Obituary (10/3/03):
Robert LaMarchina, conductor of the Honolulu Symphony from 1967 to 1978, died Tuesday. He was 75. Born in New York City, Robert LaMarchina began studying the cello at the age of 7. At 8, he made his first appearance as a solo cellist with the St. Louis Symphony. LaMarchina was 15 when famed conductor Arturo Toscanini hired him to perform with the NBC Symphony Orchestra.LaMarchina made is first appearance as a conductor in 1951 in Japan in the Fujiwara Opera's production of "Madame Butterfly." He later taught music at Indiana University, traveled with the Ambassadors of Opera and conducted operas on the West Coast. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS
In addition to wife Marilynne, LaMarchina is survived by daughters
Vita LaMarchina Corimbi Grasmick, Floria Kiscellus and Adriana
LaMarchina; stepdaughter Lisa Robinson; brothers Anthony
and Arthur, and sister Rosita (and others).
LaMarchina's Discography:
Brahms
Piano Concerto #2 with Sviatoslav Richter and the Chicago
Symphony conducted by Erich Leinsdorf
Schelomo/Block with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra