Archive Record
Metadata
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Marlyn Crittendon Collection |
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CRIT |
Title |
Marlyn Crittendon Collection |
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Scope & Content |
Marlyn Crittendon was the daughter of Dr.George Alanson & May Pierrepont Crittendon of Springfield and was a lifelong resident of that city. As a violin student of Maurice Freedman, she gave her first public recital in the Municipal Auditorium (now Symphony Hall} at the age of 6 in 1923 and, until forced to give up playing by illness, she was a prominent figure in the musical life of the city and the Pioneer Valley. Her advanced training during the 1933 - 1943 period was in New York City with Louis Persinger who listed her as his student along with Yehudi Menuhin, Riggiero Ricci, and other prominent violinists. Her advanced training was supported by scholarships from several Springfield groups and by a full scholarship from the Julliard School in New York. ln 1939 she was a finalist in the Naumberg Award competition. After graduation from Classical High School in 1937, she became the only girl among six New England musicians chosen to be members of Leopold Stokowski's "All American Youth Orchestra" that toured South America and the United States in 1940. At the invitation of Eleanor Roosevelt, Marlyn and Prescott Barrows gave an afternoon recital at the White Houae in 1941. In 1943 she joined the artist Charles Sheldon of Springfield in assembling and directing the Breck American Girl Philharmonic Orchestra to perform "Beautiful Music", a nationally broadcast radio program advertising Breck, Inc. hair products. In 1946-1948 she was a member of the National Sympaony Orchestra in Washington, DC then became concertmistress of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Alexander Leslie. She continued in this position for 28 years under the batons of Robert Staffanson, Robert Gutter, and many famous guest conductors. Her last professional position was as principal second violin in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra under Arthur Winograd. During her tenure with the Springfield Symphony she served as librarian of the orchestra and as assistant conductor of the Young Peoples Symphony of Greater Springfield. She was also Instructor in violin at Amherst College and Mount Holyoke College. In 1971 she represented the Springfield Symphony in Arthur Fiedler's "World Symphony Orchestra" assembled to celebrate the opening of Disney World in Orlando, Florida and served as assistant concertmaster. In 1973 she celebrated her 50th anniversary as a violinist in a concert of the Springfield Symphony. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the orchestra during the 1968-1969 season she and Bruna DiCecco performed the Brahms Double Concerto. Marlyn's avocation was the game of tennis,at which she won many trophies, including that as New England Public Parks champion on the courts at Forest Park. In retirement, she spent many afternoons there visiting with young players and serving as an umpire. A brief marriage to Evert Wegman of Springfield during the 1940s ended in divorce. She is survived by a brother-in-law, Edward R. Atkinson of Amherst, nieces Kathleen Atkinson of Marblehead, Mass., and Carol Galzerano of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and by cousins in Otis, Florida, and Westfield. |
People |
Crittendon, Marlyn |
Related |
Music Music teachers Music--Scholarships, fellowships, etc Musical performance Musicians Musicians--United States Orchestras Orchestras--Massachusetts--Springfield Springfield Symphony Orchestra (Springfield, Mass.) Violins |
Search Terms |
Music Music teachers Music--Scholarships, fellowships, etc Musical performance Musicians Musicians--United States Orchestras Orchestras--Massachusetts--Springfield Springfield Symphony Orchestra (Springfield, Mass.) Violins |