Norm passed away this morning at the age of 79. As some here may know, he was a fixture and guiding light at WFMT-FM in Chicago for at least 50 years. His dedication, knowledge, and good taste made WFMT the flagship station for classical music in the USA. Thanks for everything, Norm! Rest well.
GMS <slidemast...@aol.com> appears to have caused the following letters to be typed in news:19f293b9-64fa-4659-8578-6e5342c2a6d1@ 18g2000yqa.googlegroups.com:
> Norm passed away this morning at the age of 79. As some here may know, he > was a fixture and guiding light at WFMT-FM in Chicago for at least 50 > years. His dedication, knowledge, and good taste made WFMT the flagship > station for classical music in the USA. Thanks for everything, Norm! > Rest well.
Sad news. Great classical music broadcasters like him are a rarity.
-- Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks! My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers
It is with profound sorrow that we announce the death of our colleague and friend, Norman Pellegrini. The longtime WFMT program director died early this morning. Norman was 79 years old.
A native of Chicago, Norman attended the University of Chicago and received a degree from Columbia College. He first joined WFMT founders Bernie and Rita Jacobs at radio station WOAK and continued to work with them after they launched WFMT in 1951. Norman became WFMT’s program director in 1953, a post he held until 1996.
“No one in WFMT’s 58-year history had more influence on WFMT’s sound, style and programming than Norm Pellegrini, and he shaped that sound every day for the nearly 45 years he worked as our program director,” said Steve Robinson, WFMT’s general manager. “Over the decades, many have admired and praised the station’s programming for its diversity, richness, breadth and integrity. All of those elements, and so much more, are Norm’s legacy, and we honor him today and every day by our devotion to maintaining the standards he set so high. He will be missed.”
Pellegrini hosted WFMT’s Lyric Opera broadcasts in partnership with Lois Baum, and then Lisa Flynn, beginning in 1971 with a performance of Rossini’s Semiramide. Norman also hosted broadcasts by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, beginning in 1976 and continuing into the 1990s. Listeners will also remember Norman as host of WFMT’s Midnight Special for many years.
“Norman Pellegrini was the voice of Lyric Opera---and what a voice he was!” remarks Lyric Opera general director William Mason. “Norm was not only a man who knew opera---he loved opera. And all of us at Lyric loved him. We deeply mourn the passing of this cherished and admired member of the Lyric Opera and WFMT families,” he adds.
“Norm Pellegrini’s love of music, and his standards of quality, established the character of WFMT radio from its beginnings in the early 1950s. His passion for good music is still with us today,” offers Andi Lamoreaux, WFMT’s music director and a longtime friend and colleague. “Norm loved his native city, and most especially its musicians, always striving to find new outlets to showcase the excellence and variety of Chicago’s musical life. His energy, enthusiasm, and dedication made him a colleague both demanding and inspiring. He will be missed, but his legacy will live at WFMT so long as the station is on the air.”
A memorial service for Norman is being planned by his long-time partner, Donald Knight. It will be held on July 18th, on what would have been Norman’s 80th birthday, at Mayfair Lutheran Church, 4335 Lawrence Avenue, in Chicago. More details will be shared on 98.7WFMT and wfmt.com as they become available.
WFMT listeners and family members are encouraged to share their remembrances of Norman Pellegrini. Messages can be recorded by calling 773-279-2174 or posted to WFMT’s online message board (coming soon). These messages will be shared throughout the day on 98.7WFMT and here on wmft.com.
GMS wrote: > Norm passed away this morning at the age of 79. As some here may > know, he was a fixture and guiding light at WFMT-FM in Chicago for at > least 50 years. His dedication, knowledge, and good taste made WFMT > the flagship station for classical music in the USA. Thanks for > everything, Norm! Rest well.
> Gary Stucka
Amen. May he rest in peace. He represented the very best in broadcasting.
Does anyone have this 3-LP set? We acquired the HS label a few yrs ago and I was about to release this now (it's a Haydn anniversary) when I discovered that the master tape boxes actually contained tapes for Gluck's Orfeo (Urania LP set 223)... And we don't have the LP set of the Haydn to master from...
> I think you may have posted this on the wrong thread.
> - Bill
Not so, I think. You have posted this in the thread (started by Fred) "Haydn: Orfeo & Euridice, cond Swarowsky (Haydn Soc. 2029 )" and changed the subject line.
On Jul 2, 12:43 pm, "Gerard" <ghen_nospam_drik...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Bill Anderson wrote: > > Hello Fred -
> > I think you may have posted this on the wrong thread.
> > - Bill
> Not so, I think. > You have posted this in the thread (started by Fred) "Haydn: Orfeo & Euridice, > cond Swarowsky (Haydn Soc. 2029 )" and changed the subject line.
I started this thread and I've tried to manage this thread from Google groups. How the Haydn/Swarowsky topic got introduced is a mystery to me along with all of the fake postings allegedly made by "stars" of this newsgroup. Not trying to be confrontational here, but something in Google groups is amiss and many of the posts have been "infected". Just reporting what I see from this end.
GMS wrote: > On Jul 2, 12:43 pm, "Gerard" <ghen_nospam_drik...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > Bill Anderson wrote: > > > Hello Fred -
> > > I think you may have posted this on the wrong thread.
> > > - Bill
> > Not so, I think. > > You have posted this in the thread (started by Fred) "Haydn: Orfeo > > & Euridice, cond Swarowsky (Haydn Soc. 2029 )" and changed the > > subject line.
> I started this thread and I've tried to manage this thread from Google > groups. How the Haydn/Swarowsky topic got introduced is a mystery to > me along with all of the fake postings allegedly made by "stars" of > this newsgroup. Not trying to be confrontational here, but something > in Google groups is amiss and many of the posts have been "infected". > Just reporting what I see from this end.
> Regards, Gary Stucka
Maybe you're right, and is this a bug in the Google software. The way I've seen it: - You started a thread about Pellegrini; - someone (you?) changed the subject line (into "More re: RIP Norman Pellegrini"); - Bill replied in the Haydn Orfeo thread, with the Pellegrini thread subject in the subject line. - You changed the subject into "RIP Norm Pellegrini NOT Re: Haydn: Orfeo & Euridice".
I suppose that changing the subject line (again) will contribute to even more troubles when reading this in Google Groups.
> GMS wrote: > > On Jul 2, 12:43 pm, "Gerard" <ghen_nospam_drik...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > Bill Anderson wrote: > > > > Hello Fred -
> > > > I think you may have posted this on the wrong thread.
> > > > - Bill
> > > Not so, I think. > > > You have posted this in the thread (started by Fred) "Haydn: Orfeo > > > & Euridice, cond Swarowsky (Haydn Soc. 2029 )" and changed the > > > subject line.
> > I started this thread and I've tried to manage this thread from Google > > groups. How the Haydn/Swarowsky topic got introduced is a mystery to > > me along with all of the fake postings allegedly made by "stars" of > > this newsgroup. Not trying to be confrontational here, but something > > in Google groups is amiss and many of the posts have been "infected". > > Just reporting what I see from this end.
> > Regards, Gary Stucka
> Maybe you're right, and is this a bug in the Google software. > The way I've seen it: > - You started a thread about Pellegrini; > - someone (you?) changed the subject line (into "More re: RIP Norman > Pellegrini"); > - Bill replied in the Haydn Orfeo thread, with the Pellegrini thread subject in > the subject line. > - You changed the subject into "RIP Norm Pellegrini NOT Re: Haydn: Orfeo & > Euridice".
> I suppose that changing the subject line (again) will contribute to even more > troubles when reading this in Google Groups.- Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -
Gary Stucka began this thread this morning -- posted at 10:14 AM Central USA time -- as "RIP Norm Pellegrini." It later got changed to one about the Swarowsky Haydn recording. Something got changed. Google groups or not, Fred did not start this thread. Gary did, and it was about Norm Pellegrini.