MANSFIELD — Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra founder Ettore “Eddie” Chiudioni maintained a keen interest in upcoming concerts and the aspiration of young musicians — despite serious health problems during the past year.Chiudioni died early Wednesday morning.
He was in his 23rd year as conductor of the youth orchestra.
He had spent six years teaching in the Crestline City Schools, where he worked after graduating from Ohio University, and taught 32 years as orchestra/band director for the Mansfield City Schools, retiring in 1990.
Chiudioni mentored hundreds of local music students over the years — including two-time Grammy-winning classical singer Sylvia McNair. McNair was a member of the youth orchestra founded by the music teacher.
Friends said Chiudioni, 77, suffered from a heart condition. He recently had checked into the Cleveland Clinic to have a heart pump implanted.
Despite health problems, especially during the past year, Chiudioni continued to return to the Renaissance Theatre a couple of times weekly to copy music.
“Always a smile,” Renaissance president Mike Miller said. “He would be in the Renaissance at least a couple of times a week to copy music or prepare for concerts.”
He conducted orchestra and band clinics and workshops throughout Ohio, and served as an adjudicator for concerto competitions at music schools.
“He always was looking at new ways to help kids,” Miller added. “The miles he racked up, driving all over the state, taking students to auditions or events.”
Despite weight loss and a frail appearance, Chiudioni attended the Renaissance board’s meeting last week. “His enthusiasm remained. He was so adamant about staying a part of it,” Miller said.
He’d expected to be present at a Youth Strings concert this weekend and a Youth Symphony concert in May, friends said.
“If there was any possible way, he would be at the rehearsals — and he totally expected to direct,” Dalton Derr said. “He was very frail and we were very distressed. But he was still Eddie, with this Italian spirit and tenacity.”
Both men worked at Malabar Middle School for years, as choral director and instrumental director.
Chiudioni was not an imposing looking teacher, “not like 6-foot-5,” Derr said. But he coaxed quality performances from students. “He was demanding and he would lead by example. He was an informed and well-organized individual that his students revered.”
As a public school music teacher, Chiudioni was required to familiarize himself with a wide variety of string, woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments.
But in his own performances, he never strayed from “his” instrument, the trumpet.
He’s served 55 years as principal trumpet with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, “He was the first chair trumpeter for the symphony for, I don’t know — 50 years,” Derr said.
Chiudioni performed in Renaissance Brass Quintet and the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra’s Outreach Brass Trio.
As secretary-treasurer of Local 159 of the American Federation of Musicians, Chiudioni was very successful in securing grants from recording industries for educational concerts, and park concerts for the community, retired Mansfield Senior High School music director Percy Hall said. His efforts gave “hundreds of people the pleasure of attending these live music concerts,” he added.
Funeral services will likely be well-attended by several generations of musicians who were mentored by Chiudioni, friends said.
“He’s my paisano,” Derr said, referring to the word used by Italians to their closest links, their “brothers.”
Derr said he was thankful for Chiudioni’s willingness, when both of them worked for the city schools, to share the hard work needed to stage complex joint choral and instrumental events such as Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitor” or portions of Handel’s “Messiah.”
When David H. Williams, a Tucson choral arranger, wrote a piece for Derr’s mother Mabel, “Eddie wrote the instrumental portion, and we performed it on one of the joint concerts,” Derr said.
Hall said Chiudioni became a close friend when Eddie began teaching music in Crestline.
“I met him first when we were both performing in the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, which at that time was a community orchestra, rather than a professional orchestra. We talked on the phone almost daily, sharing problems, solutions, ideas and giving each other encouragement,” Hall said.
“I have always respected his ability as a trumpet player, and a private teacher of many, many students, a good number of whom have gone on to be outstanding performers, in college, in symphonies and as teachers. He will be a hard act to follow in his many roles in the musical scene of Mansfield.
“He and I have been such close friends for a long, long period of time, that I can hardly imagine not having the ability to talk to him and share our thoughts. My deepest sympathy goes to his wife Joan, and all of his family,” Hall said.
“Many of his students have been members of the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra, the East-Central Region Orchestra, the OMEA All-State Orchestra and the OMEA All-State Band,” Barb Byrd said.
“Eddie was just one heck of a good and caring person. He was devoted to teaching and playing music because it was his passion and he loved it. Eddie was always ready to share a joke or a story with you and made us laugh,” the Renaissance staff member said.
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