Obituary for Shirley Curtiss
CURTISS
Shirley passed away Oct. 26, 2019 after a long bout with Parkinson's Disease. She was just short of her 86th birthday. Beloved music teacher and mentor. She was admired for her bassoon teaching, having helped to produce several principal bassoon players of major symphony orchestras, namely, NY Philharmonic, Washington National Symphony and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera.
She was for many years the driving force of the woodwind chamber music program at the Settlement Music School founded by her teacher Sol Schoenbach of which he was Director following his retirement as principal bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
After completing her MBA at the University of Miami, she spent a summer at Tanglewood, where she met a group of young musicians from Philadelphia, and that determined the course of her life. She moved here to study with Shoenbach. In 1962 she married Sidney Curtiss, a viola player with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She was the Principal Bassoon for the PA Ballet for over 40 years and an occational bassoon player for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Throughout her life Shirley was a personal inspiration to generations of young musicians. A memorial will be held in the spring.
Share condolences at www.gangemifuneralhome.net
Shirley passed away Oct. 26, 2019 after a long bout with Parkinson's Disease. She was just short of her 86th birthday. Beloved music teacher and mentor. She was admired for her bassoon teaching, having helped to produce several principal bassoon players of major symphony orchestras, namely, NY Philharmonic, Washington National Symphony and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera.
She was for many years the driving force of the woodwind chamber music program at the Settlement Music School founded by her teacher Sol Schoenbach of which he was Director following his retirement as principal bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
After completing her MBA at the University of Miami, she spent a summer at Tanglewood, where she met a group of young musicians from Philadelphia, and that determined the course of her life. She moved here to study with Shoenbach. In 1962 she married Sidney Curtiss, a viola player with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She was the Principal Bassoon for the PA Ballet for over 40 years and an occational bassoon player for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Throughout her life Shirley was a personal inspiration to generations of young musicians. A memorial will be held in the spring.
Share condolences at www.gangemifuneralhome.net