Former Columbus Symphony Orchestra conductor Harry Kruger dies
Will Dockery
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/164/story/869025.html?storylink=omni_popular
Harry Kruger, former conductor for orchestras in Columbus and
LaGrange, Ga., died Thursday.
He was 80.
Friends remember Kruger as a leader whose enthusiasm for music never
hit a low note.
“He’s really left a lasting impact here. He really was an orchestra
builder,” said Ron Wirt, associate director of Columbus State
University’s Schwob School of Music. “He professionalized the Columbus
symphony during the time he was here.”
Wirt played under Kruger’s direction in the Columbus Symphony
Orchestra, a group Kruger conducted from 1965 to 1986.
Kruger was replaced by George Del Gobbo, current music director and
conductor for the CSO.
“He was a really sweet man,” Del Gobbo said. “I had the impression
that Harry was well-regarded by everybody.”
Kruger was also a major force in LaGrange’s music community.
He was the founding conductor and music director of the LaGrange
Symphony Orchestra, a group that presented its first concert in 1990.
“We chose the best man to get the job accomplished and he did it,”
said Walter Murphy, retired orchestra board member and former
president of LaGrange College, which has an informal partnership with
the orchestra.
Murphy said Kruger’s leadership was driven by a focus on excellence.
“There was nothing second-rate about him,” he said.
Friends remember Kruger’s charismatic personality and engaging
storytelling skills.
“He had kind of a following of people who just adored him,” said Lynda
Brock, who worked with Kruger in a variety of capacities, including
playing under his direction in the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra.
Kruger was a professor of music at Columbus State University and
LaGrange College.
Former colleague Bill Fry said Kruger had a unique ability to build an
appreciation for classical music.
“He had a way of connecting with students. He was just a really fun
guy,” said Fry, who conducts the Columbus Community Orchestra.
Throughout his career, Kruger also worked with groups like the Atlanta
Symphony, the Atlanta Civic Ballet, the Atlanta Community Orchestra,
the Middle Georgia Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul, Korea,
Philharmonic Orchestra.
A graveside service will be held 10 a.m. Monday at Arlington Memorial
Park, 201 Mount Vernon Highway, Atlanta.
-Sonya Sorich
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Red Lipped Stranger by Will Dockery & The Shadowville All-Stars:
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