Jump to content

Donald McInnes (violist)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Donald McInnes
McInnes in 2008
Born
Donald McLeod McInnes

(1939-03-07)March 7, 1939
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedOctober 23, 2024(2024-10-23) (aged 85)
Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Education
Years active1955–2019
Children3
Musical career
GenresClassical
InstrumentsViola
Formerly of

Donald McLeod McInnes (March 7, 1939 – October 23, 2024) was an American violist. He studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara) and the University of Southern California (USC). His teachers William Primrose and Jascha Heifetz were influential on his later career as a soloist, orchestra member, and viola teacher. He was principal violist of various orchestras, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra, and the Seattle Symphony. In 1974, McInnes premièred "Concerto on Old English Rounds for Viola," a work he commissioned from William Schuman through a grant from the Ford Foundation. He also premiered Vincent Persichetti's "Parable XVI" in 1975. He recorded Harold en Italie with Leonard Bernstein and the Orchestre National de France.

McInnes taught at the Music Academy of the West, Idyllwild Arts Academy, the University of Michigan, the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, and the University of Washington before teaching at USC for over 30 years.

Early life and education

[edit]

Donald McLeod McInnes was born on March 7, 1939, in San Francisco, California.[1][2] His first viola teacher was Stefan Krayk. He received his bachelor's degree in music from UC Santa Barbara, and his master's degree from the University of Southern California, where he studied with William Primrose. McInnes frequently sought his advice in his early solo career. Jascha Heifetz guided his professional development as a soloist, counseling him to maintain good relationships with the conductor and principal violist of orchestras he performed with. He attended the Music Academy of the West from 1954 to 1956, where he often listened to Lotte Lehmann sing.[3][4][5][6]

Career

[edit]

Performing and recording

[edit]

McInnes performed as principal violist with the Santa Barbara Symphony from 1955 to 1961, with the Seattle Symphony from 1966-1968, and with the Pittsburgh Symphony from 1972 to 1973.[5][7] McInnes was a participating artist in the Marlboro Music School and Festival in 1970 and 1971.[8] McInnes played 14 seasons with Camerata Pacifica, a chamber ensemble in Santa Barbara, California.[4][9][3] He also performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre National de France.[10]

In 1970, McInnes performed Henri Casadesus's viola concerto, and Paul Hindemith's Trauermusik with the Port Angeles Symphony.[11] In 1972, he performed Elegy for Solo Viola at a mini festival in honor of Igor Stravinsky at the University of Washington.[12] He performed Bartok's viola concerto with the Boise Philharmonic in 1975.[13]

McInnes performed many premieres of new works for viola, including works commissioned with his performance in mind. These included works by William Schuman, Vincent Persichetti, William Bergsma, Robert Suderberg, Paul Tufts, and Thomas Pasatieri.[3] In 1971, McInnes received a grant from the Ford Foundation for musicians under age 35, through which he commissioned William Schuman to write "Concerto on Old English Rounds for Viola." McInnes premiered the work in 1974 with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the Boston Symphony.[14][15] McInnes also performed and recorded the work with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. In a review of the New York performance, Harold C. Shonberg described McInnes as a "sensitive musician" "with a gorgeous, mellow sound".[16][17] McInnes premiered Perschetti's Parable XVI at the International Viola Congress on June 29, 1975.[18] McInnes also priemered Bergsma's Variations and a Fantasy for Viola and Orchestra in 1978, and Sunderberg's VIOLA I for Solo Viola in 1988. Fantasy for Solo Viola by Paul Louis Fink and Sonata for Viola and Piano by Paul Tufts are dedicated to him; McInnes premiered both in 1974.[5]

McInnes's collaboration with Bernstein continued and he recorded Harold en Italie by Hector Berlioz with him in 1976. In Classical Music: The Essential Listening Companion, Goodfellow described McInnes's recording as "less prepossessing" than William Lincer's performance of the same piece.[19] In 2001, Ivan March reviewed the CD re-issue in his The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs. He described McInnes as playing with "superbly rich and even tone."[20]

During his career McInnes performed many solo recitals. Donal Henahan reviewed one of his 1979 recitals in The New York Times. Henahan called the recital "splendid." He praised McInnes's "technical finesse" and wrote that the performance of "Fantastic Variations on a Theme From 'Tristan'" "blossom[ed] dramatically." In contrast, Henahan was not as moved by McInnes's performance of works by Marais, Ravel, and Paganini.[21]

McInnes performed in many symphony recordings for film soundtracks during the twenty-five years he lived in Los Angeles. These films included The Little Mermaid, Titanic, and Red October. He also played in Barbara Streisand's orchestra on tour as her principal violist from 1985 to 2000.[14]

In 2009, McInnes retired from performing, but not from teaching.[4]

Teaching and publishing

[edit]

McInnes was a renowned[22] professor of viola at various universities for 53 years of his life. He taught at the University of Washington from 1966-1979, at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music from 1979 to 1982, at the University of Michigan from 1982-1985, and at the University of Southern California (USC) from 1985 until 2019.[5][4] McInnes taught outside of the university setting as well. He taught at the Music Academy of the West, Idyllwild Arts Academy, and the BANFF Center. He taught as a guest professor at the Royal Conservatory in Barcelona, Spain, the Shanghai Conservatory and the Central Conservatory in Beijing.[4][23][5] McInnes's teaching style includes scale studies and etudes, as well as studies in orchestral repertoire.[4][10]

His students who have gone on to be professional violists include Katheryn Steely[24], Valerie Kuinka,[25] and Cynthia Phelps.[26]

McInnes made arrangements of popular classical music pieces for viola, publishing them through Ovation Press.[4] He retired from university teaching in 2019.[4]

Personal life

[edit]

McInnes and his husband had three children together. He died on October 23, 2024, at the age of 85.[27][2]

Awards and honors

[edit]

McInnes was on the board of the American Viola Society from 1982 until 1996.[28] He received two awards from the American Viola Society. In 1989, he received the distinguished service award, and in 1995, he received an "outstanding achievement" plaque.[29] McInnes received the Silver Alto Clef award in 2007 from the International Viola Society.[30]

Discography

[edit]
  • As violist in the solo string quartet in a performance of Vivaldi Gallery: For Divided Orchestra and String Quartet.[31]
  • As the solo violist performing "Fantastic Variations for viola and piano, on a theme from Tristan".[32]
  • As the soloist on Concerto on Old English Rounds for viola, women's chorus and orchestra, with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.[17]
  • In 1977, McInnes recorded Harold en Italie by Hector Berlioz with Leonard Bernstein conducting the Orchestre National de France.[33][5]
    • Later, this recording was compiled on an EMI Classics 2-disc set with Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and 5 Overtures.[34]
  • As second violist on the LaSalle Quartet's recording of Schoenburg's Verklärte Nacht Streichtrio.[35]
  • As violist in the quartet performing Robert Suderburg's "Solo Music II, Ritual Cycle of Lyrics and Dance for Unaccompanied Viola"[36]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Donald McLeod McInnes, Born 03/07/1939". California Birth Index. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Donald M. McInnes". The Santa Barbera Independent. October 31, 2024. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Donald McInnes • viola". Music Academy of the West. January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Cronin, Colin (April 7, 2015). "Interview with Donald McInnes". Ovation Press: String Visions.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Riley, Maurice W. (1991). The history of the viola. 2. Ann Arbor: Riley. p. 409. ISBN 0960315039.
  6. ^ "Seattle Symphony Rehearsing for Opening Concert of 63rd Season". The Daily Chronicle. Centralia, Washington. October 5, 1966. p. 5.
  7. ^ "News Nuggets" (PDF). International Musician: 19. July 1980. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  8. ^ Marlboro music : collected concert programs: the first fifty years. Marlboro Music School and Festival. 2000. pp. 463, 468, 493, 499.
  9. ^ "Home". Camerata Pacifica.
  10. ^ a b "Violist Donald McInnes has died, aged 85". The Strad. October 29, 2024. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  11. ^ Van Horn, James (February 22, 1970). "The concert: a change to hear a viola artist". Peninsula Daily News. p. 2.
  12. ^ Van Horn, James (May 7, 1972). "A Salute to Stravinsky by UW Music Scool". The Daily News. p. 4.
  13. ^ "Philharmonic concert set". Idaho Free Press. Nampa, Idaho. February 12, 1975. p. 15.
  14. ^ a b Kleinschmidt, Janice (November 30, 2012). "Palm Springs Art Scene - Violist Donald McInnes". Palm Springs Life.
  15. ^ Henahan, Donal (September 25, 1971). "AWARDS TO SPUR WRITING OF MUSIC". The New York Times.
  16. ^ Schonberg, Harold C. (April 16, 1976). "Music: Two Premieres". The New York Times.
  17. ^ a b Schuman, William; McInnes, Donald (1978). William Schuman: Concerto on Old English Rounds for viola, women's chorus and orchestra. LP. Columbia Masterworks.
  18. ^ John Graham, violist; Robert Black, pianist; Thomas Muraco, pianist. (1981). Music for Viola: A Twentieth Century Anthology, Vol. 1. liner notes. Composers Recordings, Inc.
  19. ^ Morin, Alexander J. (2002). Classical Music: The Listener's Companion. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-87930-638-0.
  20. ^ March, Ivan (2001). The Penguin guide to compact discs. Penguin. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-14-051497-1.
  21. ^ Henahan, Donal (April 3, 1979). "Viola: Donald McInnes". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  22. ^ Conway, Colleen M. (March 2, 2020). Models of Qualitative Research: An Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research in American Music Education, Volume 3. Oxford University Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-19-092099-9.
  23. ^ "Symphony to bring violist". Peninsula Daily News. Port Angeles, Washington. February 20, 1970. p. 4.
  24. ^ Steely, Kathryn (2010). Viola Sonatas: William Flackton, George Frideric Handel, Carl Friedrich Abel (Media notes). MSR Classics. p. 6.
  25. ^ "Faculty Artist Series: Susan Hoeppner, Beverley Johnston & Friends". Faculty Event Programs. University of Toronto. 1998.
  26. ^ Fruchter, Rena (January 2, 1994). "MUSIC; Pleasant Surprises in a Violist's Move". The New York Times.
  27. ^ "Donald M. McInnes". The Desert Sun. October 23, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  28. ^ "Donald McInnes Moves to Michigan". The American Viola Society newsletter (23): 9. November 1982.; "(cover masthead)". Journal of the American Viola Society. 12 (1). 1996.
  29. ^ "AVS Awards". American Viola Society. Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  30. ^ "The Silver Viola Clef". International Viola Society.
  31. ^ Gould, Morton; Katins, Milton (1969). Venice: Audiograph for Double Orchestra and Brass Choirs; Vivaldi Gallery: For Divided Orchestra and String Quartet. RCA.
  32. ^ William Bergsma / String Quartet No. 4 / Illegible Canons for Clarinet and Percussion / Fantastic Variations on a Theme from Tristan. Musical Heritage Society. 1977.
  33. ^ Bernstein, Leonard; McInnes, Donald. Berlioz - Harold in Italy / Leonard Bernstein / Orchestre National de France / Donal McInnes (viola). EMI.
  34. ^ McInnes, Donald (1999). Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Harold en Italie, 5 Overtures. EMI Classics.
  35. ^ Schoenberg, Arnold (1984). Verklarte Nacht * Sreichtrio. LaSalle Quartet (LP). Deutsche Grammophon.
  36. ^ works by Robert Suderburg, Charles Martin Loeffler, and Paul Hindemith (2000). 20th Century Bravura Chamber Music. Kleos Classics.
[edit]
Retrieved from "http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Donald_McInnes_(violist)&oldid=1275590726"