George Shangrow
George Shangrow died in a head-on car collision on Saturday, July 31, on his way to the Meathow Valley Chamber Music Festival, where he was scheduled to be a guest lecturer. He was planning to return to Orcas Island for the Music Lovers’ Seminars at the Oras Island Chamber Music Festival, Aug. 12-28.
From the Orchestra Seattle Chamber Music Singers website:
As you likely now know, George Shangrow died in a car crash on Saturday. He was 59 years old. We will all miss him terribly.
In 1969, when he was still a teenager, George founded the Seattle Chamber Singers. Ten years later, he formed the group that would become Orchestra Seattle. Over the past four decades, George touched the lives of thousands of musicians who worked with him in these and other ensembles, audience members across the region and around the world who experienced his unique brand of music-making, and countless others who knew him as the host of radio’s “Live By George.”
George possessed a rare combination of musical gifts—conductor, harpsichordist, pianist, teacher, speaker—that he employed in the most intimate chamber music as well as the grandest works for chorus and orchestra. He leaves an astounding musical legacy, having conducted dozens of world premieres by Northwest composers and introduced so many seldom-performed masterpieces of the oratorio repertoire to Seattle audiences.
Those of us who performed with George are shocked and deeply saddened by his death. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family members, several of whom are also our musical colleagues.
If you wish to share your thoughts and memories about George, please do so by e-mailing memorial@osscs.org; we will share them with George’s friends and family, and post your tributes at https://osscs.org
Thank you to Kathy Lunde
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How very sad to read about this tragedy. Such a loss to his Family, Friends and the Music World!
George was a glowing light, a friend to music and to all of us. Never high-minded and stuffy, he made us all feel good about being involved in music and at the same time raised everyone’s consciousness with rich humor and enduring joy. We will miss him greatly here on Orcas where he was a special friend to the Chamber Music Festival and to the Orcas Choral Society. Our hearts ache.