Anthony P. Checchia. Photo courtesy of Marlboro Music Festival.
In Sunday’s (9/8) Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dorbin writes, “Anthony P. Checchia, 94, a onetime bassoonist … who made Philadelphia one of the top cities in the nation for chamber music, died Saturday, Sept. 7, at his home on Rittenhouse Square. He had been in declining health over the last several years, according to a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, which announced his death. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Checchia … brought hundreds of artists into schools as director of the local branch of Young Audiences and presented Richard Goode when the pianist was just 16 years old. He served as administrative director to Rudolf Serkin when the famed musician was director of the Curtis Institute of Music. But it was his leadership at PCMS and its sister organization, Marlboro Music, that fixed Mr. Checchia’s place as the gentle giant of chamber music in America. Marlboro, cofounded by Serkin in southern Vermont, is a revered summer retreat created to incubate small ensembles, and PCMS, where Mr. Checchia became founding artistic director in 1986, grew to become one of the busiest and most prestigious chamber music series in the country…. In addition to [his wife, soprano Benita] Valente, Mr. Checchia is survived by his son, Pete.”
