Geoff Nuttall, a beloved violinist with the St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ), died on Wednesday morning after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was Just 56.
Nuttall was a co-founder of the St. Lawrence String Quartet in 1989. He gave thousands of concerts as the first violinist of this renowned group throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia in places like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, and The Barbican in London, Royal Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, Theatre de Ville in Paris, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, as well as at the White House for President Clinton.
Music Director Of The Spoleto Festival Passes Away At 56
Officials have verified that the Spoleto Festival’s chamber music director passed away on Wednesday at his California home.
According to Jenny Ouellette, a spokesman for the event, Geoff Nuttall, 56, passed away. He was getting pancreatic cancer treatment. Since 2010, Nuttall has hosted the festival’s chamber music performances at the venerable Dock Street Theatre.
Spoleto Festival USA General Director and CEO Mena Mark Hanna commented, “This is a loss not just for Spoleto Festival in the USA, but for music lovers everywhere.
He didn’t mind whether audience members applauded in between movements, they wore shorts and sandals to concerts or the stringent social conventions that govern classical music performances. He was only concerned with the unifying, cathartic effects of music. And as a result, he altered American chamber music.
A news statement noted that while serving as the director, he arranged 33 yearly concerts and played on many of them as a violinist and founding member of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Spoleto’s quartet-in-residence, for over 25 years.
In addition to his mother and sister, Nuttall is survived by his wife, violinist Livia Sohn, their kids Jack and Ellis, and them.
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A Vibrant, Vivacious Personality
Nuttall was born in College Station, Texas, and at the age of eight he relocated to London, Ontario. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto after studying violin with Lorand Fenyves at the Banff Centre, University of Western Ontario, and University of Toronto.
Together with violinist Shiffman, violist Lesley Robertson, and cellist Marina Hoover, Nuttall founded the SLSQ in 1989. In 2003, cellist Christopher Costanza and violinist Owen Dalby both joined the group.
Nuttall was born in College Station, Texas, and at the age of eight he relocated to London, Ontario. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto after studying violin with Lorand Fenyves at the Banff Centre, University of Western Ontario, and University of Toronto.
Together with violinist Shiffman, violist Lesley Robertson, and cellist Marina Hoover, Nuttall founded the SLSQ in 1989. In 2003, cellist Christopher Costanza and violinist Owen Dalby both joined the group.
Violinist Robertson says, “His attachment to music was absolutely absorbing. “One could observe him physically responding to the emotion, the momentum, and the plot when he was listening to music. He had a similar dynamic connection when composing music. It was always and only about conveying the emotional message of the composer, and using every tool at our disposal to carry that message directly to the heart.”
“It’s difficult to express how much Geoff was cherished and appreciated, how much he meant to so many people, and how influential he was. I’m one of the many who are devastated by his passing but also incredibly fortunate to have been in his amazing orbit.”
Nuttall was referred to as “chamber music’s Jon Stewart” in a 2013 New York Times profile that focused on his time at the Spoleto Festival. The article highlighted Nuttall’s charisma and sense of humour, saying that he is “a creatively daring, physically talented performer who can goofball in a nanosecond, maintaining a veneer of entertainment while educating his base about serious matters.”
According to Shiffman, meeting Nuttall left a lasting impression. To witness how anyone, including the president of the United States, an inner-city student, a well-known conductor, a manager, or a student, was profoundly affected by his energetic presence was inspiring.
Shiffman continues, “I have five sisters, and Geoff is the brother I would have wanted to have.
In addition to his mother and sister, Nuttall is survived by his wife, the musician Livia Sohn, and their two children, Jack and Ellis. A memorial fund has been created by Stanford University. Details are provided here.
Paolo Pietropaolo will honour Nuttall and his accomplishments on CBC Music’s In Concert on Sunday, Oct. 30.
Wrapping-Up
The St. Lawrence String Quartet’s (SLSQ) co-founding first violinist, a beloved member of the Stanford University music faculty, and the director of chamber music at the Spoleto Festival in South Carolina, Geoff Nuttall, is mourned by the classical music community. On October 19, Nuttall, who was residing in California, passed away from pancreatic cancer. He was 56.
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