“Robert Gutter, conductor and former music director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, passed away unexpectedly on Monday in Moldova,” writes Clifton Noble in Tuesday’s (5/10) Republican (Springfield, Mass.). “According to his daughter, Frances KGL MacAllister, Gutter died doing what he loved—traveling, guest-conducting, and teaching during his annual tour of Eastern Europe…. Gutter stepped onto the Springfield Symphony Orchestra podium in the 1970-1971 season and remained there until 1986 when he became conductor of the Greensboro North Carolina Philharmonia…. During his tenure … were the [orchestra’s] first staged opera production, the first annual Pops series … and the July ‘Big 4th’ outdoor concert…. In Springfield, Gutter commissioned 11 new works from distinguished American composers [and] showcased local talent… Gutter was born in 1938 in New York City. He graduated from New York’s renowned High School of Music and Art, and received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Yale University School of Music…. He founded the International Institute for Conductors in 1996…. He also served as the Principal Guest Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine in Kiev from 1996-2000, and later as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Mihail Jora’ of Bacau, Romania.”
Posted May 12, 2017