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Fennell, Frederick (2nd July 1914-7th December 2004)

He was an orchestra conductor, percussionist and author born in Cleveland, Ohio.

He became a drummer for the fife and drum corps in Camp Zeke when he was seven and owned his first drum set when he was ten.  In his high school orchestra he was the band’s drum major and a kettledrummer.

He studied at the Interlochen Arts Centre and as the bass drummer in the band, which he would later conduct,  he was led by John Philip Sousa in his premiere of Northern Pines.  He took further studies at the Eastman School of Music and was the first student to gain a degree in percussion performance as well as organizing the University of Rochester marching band.

He took lessons with Wilhelm Furtwangler under a fellowship at the Mozarteum Salzburg and with Serge Koussevitsky at Tanglewood, where among his classmates were Lukas Foss and Leonard Bernstein.

After the outbreak of WWII he worked with the United Service Organizations as a National Music Advisor.

In 1952 he established the Eastman Wind Ensemble and wrote to 400 composers requesting compositions that would be fitting for his new group.  The first to reply was Percy Grainger, followed by Ralph Vaughn Williams and Vincent Perischetti.  By 1953 he had established himself as one of the United States’ most recorded conductors, appearing with groups such as the London Pops, the Eastman-Rochester Pops as well as many wind and free lance ensembles.

His positions have been as associate music director for the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, conductor-in-residence of the Miami Philharmonic, principal guest conductor of the Dallas Wind Symphony and Conductor Laureate of the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.

As an author he wrote several books which include Time and the Winds and A Drummer’s Heritage.    Having received many awards for his contribution to music he was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2001.  He died aged 90 in Siesta Key, Florida , in 2004.

Dallas Wind Symphony recordings

Isaac Albeniz

Feast Day in Seville
Reference Recordings RR-52CD (CD: Trittico)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Leroy Anderson

Belle of the Ball
Reference Rec. RR-62CD (CD: Beachcomber: Encores for Band)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Eastman-Rochester Pops Orchestra recordings

Leroy Anderson

Blue Tango
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Bugler’s Holiday
Mercury 434 376-2 (CD: Fennell Conducts the Music Of Leroy Anderson and Eric Coates)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

First Day of Spring, The
Mercury 475 6942 (CD: Fennell Conducts Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Forgotten Dreams
Mercury 434 376-2 (CD: Fennell Conducts the Music Of Leroy Anderson and Eric Coates)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Irish Suite
Mercury 434 376-2 (CD: Fennell Conducts the Music Of Leroy Anderson and Eric Coates)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Jazz Legato
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Pirate Dance
Mercury 434 376-2 (CD: Fennell Conducts the Music Of Leroy Anderson and Eric Coates)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Plink, Plank, Plunk!
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Promenade
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Sandpaper Ballet
Mercury 434 376-2 (CD: Fennell Conducts the Music Of Leroy Anderson and Eric Coates)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Saraband
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Serenata
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Mercury SACD 475 6942 (CD: Frederick Fennell Conducts the Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Sleigh Ride
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Song of Jupiter (George Frideric Handel/Leroy Anderson )
Mercury Living Presence 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Summer Skies
Mercury SACD 475 6942 (CD: Frederick Fennell Conducts the Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

The Syncopated Clock
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

A Trumpeter’s Holiday
Mercury 434 376-2 (CD: Fennell Conducts the Music Of Leroy Anderson and Eric Coates)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

The Typewriter
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Mercury SACD 475 6942 (CD: Frederick Fennell Conducts the Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

The Waltzing Cat
Mercury 432 013-2 (CD: The Music of Leroy Anderson)
Conductor – Frederick Fennell

Her he conducts the Eastman Wind Ensemble in a performance of Getty H. Huffine’s “Them Basses”….

Sources:

  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Fennell
  2. http://www.dws.org/ffennell.htm
  3. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/09/arts/music/frederick-fennell-90-innovative-band-conductor-dies.html?_r=0
  4. https://www.discogs.com/artist/1528152-Frederick-Fennell
  5. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/frederick-fennell-mn0000542286/biography