Audrey Call Marcelli

MARCELLI, Audrey Call (April 12, 1905-June 3, 2001) A lifetime of music and nurturing of others distinguishes Audrey Call Marcelli who passed away Sunday, June 3, in Santa Rosa. She was 96. Audrey’s life was devoted to music and, in particular, virtuosity with the violin. Beginning her musical training at the the age of three, she appeared as a prodigy from her eighth year into her early teens. She gained national acclaim in 1926 after winning two major violin competitions; one sponsored by the American Festival of Music, New York, the other by the Society of American Musicians, Chicago. In 1927 her performance of the Paganini Concerto in D major won her a coveted place in the Paris Conservatiore where she became a laureate in 1929. During the early 1930’s, she concertized extensively as a violinist, often performing compositions of her own. Later she played in the Horace Heidt Orchestra and appeared as a soloist in many of the musical productions of conductor-composer Ulderico Marcelli, whom she married in 1937. Ensuing years were spent as a staff violinist for NBC and CBS in New York, Chicago, and Hollywood, where she performed in the "Fibber McGee and Molly", "Dennis Day", "Imogene Coca", and Ronald Coleman’s "Halls of Ivy" radio shows. As a pioneer in the field of radio and television, her early contributions are recognized in the national archives of the Library of Congress. From 1955 until retiring to Oakmont in 1989, Mrs. Marcelli devoted herself to teaching hundreds of young violin students in her Sunland, CA studio. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Victor and Patricia Marcelli of Santa Rosa, grandchildren Rico and Anthony Marcelli, both of Oakland, and her sister Frances Hohengarten of Washington, MO. Friends are invited to attend a celebration of Audrey’s life on Monday evening, June 18, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. in the Berger Center, 6633 Oakmont Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95409. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her memory may be made to the Audrey Call Marcelli Music Scholarship SRJC Foundation, 1501 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95401.