 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2010-07-22 04:04
Sadly, I must report, that today at 6:58pm, David Etheridge, professor at the University of Oklahoma, passed away.
He was a recitalist, clinician and founder of the internationally acclaimed University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium.
As many of you know, for the past few weeks he had been hospitalized and was bravely fighting cancer.
His wife Cheryl posted a note on the hospital website for all to read:
Dear Friends,
Our beloved David passed away today at 6:58pm. He was such a
fighter throughout the month in the hospital. Ever an analyzer,
Dave thought through his condition , looked at the future and
today informed us that he did not want to continue the fight.
This has been the most difficult period of our lives but we said our
goodbyes and helped him reach for his next life. A sense of peace
filled the room as Dave entered God's arms.
There are so many people to thank but at the moment I want
to highlight our son Scott, daughter Suzanne and my sister, Charlene.
They have been by my side from the first day we entered the hospital.
I don't know how Dave and I would have gotten through this without
their support.
Dave's sister, her husband, mother and father have been here often
as a support team also and I know Dave was comforted by their
presence.
Thank you Phil Fenn for helping all of us through this and the many
visits from McFarlin Church members.
Of course, we need to thank the tireless work of all the Drs. and
nurses that took such good care of Dave and showed concern for us.
The burial service will be next week at Olingers Crown Hill Cemetary
in Denver, Colorado. We will put date and time on here soon.
A Celebration of his life will be held in Norman in Sept. It also will
be announced on this site.
On a personal note, Dave was my clarinet professor in college. We stayed close through the years after college and as I told him many times he was a major influence on my life.
Most recently he had trusted me to help proofread his upcoming book "Clarinet for Dummies". It is completed and will be published in the next few weeks.
He was a wonderful musician and educator. I will greatly miss him....
...GBK
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2010-07-22 12:55
To all who mourn David's passing, let them be blessed with good life stories of David and be comforted.
Dave was a few years older than me and went to the same high school in Denver (Wheatridge) as I. When my private teacher retired, I began lessons with David. To me he seemed like the older, wise man who I admired and learned from. He was a senior in College! He had also taken lessons from Tiny Heinrich and he moved me on so that I was well prepared to begin music school myself. When the ICA clarinet festival was in Norman a while back, I went and re-connected with David. How extraordinary it was to hear him play with that special "ping" we both learned from Tiny Heinrich.
I am glad his new book will be published - his book about the Mozart Concerto continues to be a great resource to me. I also am using his set of interesting clarinet instruction books - so glad he left behind such unique and informative materials.
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
Post Edited (2010-07-22 16:07)
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2010-07-23 00:52
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Condolences to David's family and friends.
John B
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2010-07-23 01:57
GBK,
I have seen your many wonderful posts on David Etheridge and the effect he has had on your playing, teaching, and perhaps most importantly your life. I offer my sympathy to his immediate family and to you as a member of the extended family of former Etheridge students.
HRL
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Author: GBK
Date: 2010-07-24 01:14
David Ellis Etheridge
David Etheridge, 67, of Norman passed away on July 21. He was born to Eileen and Ellis Etheridge, September 11,1942, in Denver, Colorado.
David, a David Ross Boyd Distinguished Professor, holds degrees from the University of Colorado and the Eastman School of Music, earning a Doctor of Musical Arts in clarinet performance.
He had a zest life and was very devoted to his family and students at OU. His other passions were practicing the clarinet, cooking, sailing, skiing and traveling.
Prior to his 35-year tenure at the Univ. of Ok, he served on the faculty of the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York. He gave numerous recitals and clinics across the United States and Europe, and is a former member of the OK City Philharmonic. He is the founder of the OU Clarinet Symposium, which just celebrated its 35th year. His most recent publications include Clarinet for Dummies, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto: The Performers View and three instructional books .
He is survived by Cheryl, his wife of 47 years; mother Eileen Etheridge of Denver, Co and father Ellis Etheridge of Norman; son Scott Etheridge and daughter-in-law Natalie, grandchildren Bennett and Sydney of Atlanta; daughter Suzanne Ouellette and son-in-law Thomas, grandchildren Luc and Nina also from Atlanta; sister Janet Klumas and husband Larry of Calif.; Sister-in-law Charlene Walker and husband Barry of Denver, Colo and niece Janet Lynn Robinson and husband Mike of Seattle.
Dr. Etheridge will be buried in Denver, Colorado following a 3:00 service on July 28th at Olingers Crown Hill Cemetary. A celebration of his life will be held in Norman in September.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the the David Etheridge Clarinet Scholarship, OU Foundation, 100 Timberdell Drive, Norman, OK 73019
...GBK
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Author: ENG
Date: 2010-07-24 21:14
He was my teacher/mentor for the better part of a decade and he will be sorely missed. As I was practicing with his marks all over my reeds, his notes in my margins and his voice in my head however, while it hurt, it was slightly comforting. I'm glad he will be so happily remembered. Thanks for posting this.
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2010-07-25 20:56
How sad. I met him only a few months ago when he gave a master class at the University of North Florida. I thanked him for his book, Skill Builders, A Pracical Approach to Clarinet, and he autographed it for me. I could tell that he was a cheerful and a nice man.
Leonard
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2010-07-25 22:06
David Etheridge was ahead of his time. He espoused the clarinet and the sharing of clarinet ideas long before this new breed of players every could comprehend what a symposium was about. His ideals about goals oriented learning and the sharing of knowledge with a gentle touch are to be admired world over.
David Dow
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2010-07-26 06:13
ENG wrote:
>> I made this!!! Thanks for posting it!>>
Is it him playing the clarinet in the Mozart Quintet?
Tony
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Author: donald
Date: 2010-08-11 10:24
I was very sad to get this news, and haven't posted about Dr Etheridge because I needed to think a bit about what I wanted to say.
Firstly, Dr Etheridge was for me the most fantastic teacher- he essentially taught me how to develop the playing tools I needed to perform (though it's only in recent years I feel I've been able to fully absorb what I learnt from him). This was particularly difficult as it involved undoing many very bad habits. Nothing he taught was gratuitous or dogmatic, and everything was in response to a need or shortcoming. He was often able to pinpoint what it was that was going wrong, and fix it, in a way that I had never experienced before. A very articulate teacher, I was never confused about what he was trying to tell me, and able to link technical and interpretive problems in a way that made perfect sense.
As a mentor he went beyond the call of duty, at first helping me set up house in a new country and giving me pots/pans and cutlery (well, he sent Scot to buy that for me). He was a little shocked by my antipodean tongue ("don't xxxx with the velociraptor, eh?" didn't go down well when watching Jurassic Park at my first Thanksgiving) and I quickly toned that down!
Dr Etheridge gave me an incredible amount of fantastic everyday advice about life, everything I can remember him saying has proved to be true. I think it must have seemed to him that I wasn't paying him any attention, I'm a bit slow sometimes and much of what he taught me (and I'm talking non musical things) really took a long time to ferment in my thick head...
I would like to share with the bulletin board one of the things I learnt from him, that at the time, in my youth and with my prejudices about "American clarinet playing", seemed surprising... EVERYBODY has something to contribute. I saw this in action many times. Some of the artists invited to perform at the OU Symposium, for instance, made musical and artistic choices that I was SURE he did not agree with, but he still showed those players respect, courtesy, and gave them support when/if they needed it. This respect shown to others was something I had not witnessed in abundance in the music world, and continue to this to day to find it inspiring.
It was with great sadness that I learnt of his illness, and felt shock and disbelief at the speed he was taken from us. I remember vividly the hot summer evening he picked me up from OK City airport and took me to my new apartment... I had no idea how lucky I was and how the following two years were to change me. He has left behind his family, a terrific bunch they are and my heart goes out to them. He has also left behind a family of clarinet players who seem to have a common thread of integrity that I think he'd be proud of.
dn
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Author: GBK
Date: 2010-08-11 12:57
There is no doubt in my mind that David Etheridge's legacy of promoting the clarinet through symposiums, performance, publications and teaching is something we will all miss.
He was a kind, gentle man who knew how to get the most out of each of his students - teaching them life lessons as well as music.
In his quiet way, he turned out generations well schooled, highly prepared clarinetists, and those of us who were fortunate enough to be under his guidance, we have much to be thankful for.
...GBK
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Author: ddavani
Date: 2010-08-12 20:51
I unfortunately never had the opportunity to meet Dr. Etheridge, however I did write a short memoriam post about the gifts he had given to the clarinet world. I found out about his passing on the second day of ClarinetFest while talking to Mike Getzin.
-Dave Davani
http://allclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: ddavani
Date: 2010-08-12 20:51
I unfortunately never had the opportunity to meet Dr. Etheridge, however I did write a short memoriam post about the gifts he had given to the clarinet world. I found out about his passing on the second day of ClarinetFest while talking to Mike Getzin.
Here's the link to my blog:
http://allclarinet.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-memoriam-dr-david-etheridge.html
-Dave Davani
http://allclarinet.blogspot.com/
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