Member Obituaries
Gerardo Levy (1924-2019)
The Club mourns the death on August 10 of Gerardo Levy, longtime principal flutist of the New York City Opera and former NYFC board member.
Katherine Hoover (1937-2018)
The Club mourns the death of flutist-composer Katherine Hoover on September 21. Katherine was a longtime member of the club and a former board member, and several of her works were premiered at NYFC concerts.
Paul Lustig Dunkel (1943-2018)
The Club mourns the death on January 14 of our longtime member Paul Dunkel, principal flutist of the New York City Ballet. A member of Music from Copland House, an ensemble he co-founded with the pianist Michael Boriskin, he was an active freelancer in orchestras, opera, and ballet in the city. Paul Dunkel performed frequently at the New York Flute Club, most recently in an October 2014 recital.
Wilford “Bill” L. Holcombe Jr. (1924-2010)
The Club mourns the loss of Bill Holcombe, the flutist, composer, and arranger, who died peacefully at home on April 25 at the age of 85. Born in Trenton, NJ, Bill was a lifelong area resident and graduate of Trenton High School. He studied flute at the Juilliard School in New York, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in musicology.
Albert Weatherly (1924-2009)
Albert Weatherly, longtime, esteemed member of the New York flute community and the American flute community at large, died of pneumonia on December 17 at the age of 85. He was famous not only for his excellent repair work and business practices but also as a mentor and friend to both his customers and his colleagues.
Frances Blaisdell (1912-2009)
The Club mourns the death of Frances Blaisdell, our loyal member for eighty years, on March 11 in Portola Valley, California. As a teenager, Frances studied with Ernest Wagner of the New York Philharmonic and in 1928 began her studies with Georges Barrère, first at the Institute of Musical Art and then at the Juilliard Graduate School. Considered his protegée, she made frequent duo appearances with him and, after he had a stroke in 1941 he chose her to take his place in the Barrère Trio. She later studied with Marcel Moyse and William Kincaid.
Hilda Fenyo (1915-2008)
The Club mourns the death of its longtime corresponding secretary, Hilda Fenyo, who died at a hospice in Albany at age 93 on November 4, 2008. A pianist, she was a 1943 graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with James Friskin. She appeared regularly at the Club as an accompanist to John Wummer. The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Juilliard School or the New York Flute Club.
