David Wax, the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s executive director from 2000 to 2007, died on May 21, the orchestra has announced. Channing Gray’s May 22 obituary in the Providence Journal states that he died “after a long battle with cancer…. Wax, who lived in Pawtucket with wife, Elaine Cali, received a doctorate in political science from Harvard, but was drawn to a career in the arts…. He took a job managing an orchestra in North Carolina, and many orchestras later, ended up as the top administrator with the acclaimed Houston Symphony in 1987, where he worked for more than a decade. He had plans for retiring to New England and took over as executive director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic in 2001. … Wax left the orchestra in 2008, and was active as a consultant [including as] managing director of the Gamm [Theatre in Pawtucket, R.I.]…. Wax, who was also on the board of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and sang with the Providence Singers, ran the Gamm for two seasons, retiring last year for health reasons.” A memorial service was held June 5 in Providence. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter and a grandson.
Posted June 5, 2015