James Winter

JAMES WINTER

James Winter, music professor emeritus at California State University, Fresno and pillar of Fresno’s musical community, died on Monday, June 12, 2006, of complications due to lymphoma. He is known in Fresno for his long tenures, both at the University, teaching music theory, composition and applied brass instrument instruction, and as principal horn with the Fresno Philharmonic nationally and internationally. He is known and widely respected for his excellence as a teacher, having produced students who went on to occupy positions in many major orchestras, in the Los Angeles film studios and other performance venues, and as teachers of music throughout the country. Born in Minneapolis in 1919, he discovered the horn in junior high school. He attended Carleton College in Minnesota, majoring in music. Immediately following graduation in 1942, he joined the U.S. Navy as an officer and saw action in the Pacific aboard the U.S.S. Pasadena. Married to Pearl Bowman, a cellist and fellow student at Carleton, he returned to school after the war and obtained his master’s degree in music at Northwestern University and his PhD in music composition at the University of Iowa. He came to the faculty of Fresno State in 1947, where he remained until his retirement in 1987. In addition to his university career, Jim p layed often as a soloist, coached annual summer music camps in Kansas, California and Utah, and performed as orchestra member and soloist at Music from Bear Valley and as hornist for many years in the California Woodwind Quintet. He was also active in the International Horn Society, serving as the editor of that organization’s journal The Horn Call, then as President of the IHS, and performing and teaching at its conventions in countries throughout the world. Jim’s generosity of time, skill, and spirit contributed greatly to the growth, development, and ongoing high quality of performance for multiple generations of aspiring musicians and music lovers. He is preceded in death by his beloved Pearl in 1990; and his son John in 1994. He is survived by his son Prescott and his wife Lynn of Annapolis, MD; their son Curtis; Prescott’s daughters, Elizabeth Winter of Annapolis and Erika Titus of Fresno; by John’s wife Margaret and sons Michael and Alex of Redlands; and by his brother, Willard Huyck of Northfield, MN. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, July 29, 2006. Further details can be obtained through St. James Episcopal Cathedral in Fresno. Condolences may be sent to Prescott Winter, 1612 Severn Drive, Annapolis, MD 21409. Donations may be made to California State University, Fresno, College of Arts and Humanities, James H. Winter Memorial Brass Scholarship, 2380 E. Keats, M/S MB99, Fresno, CA 93740-8024. STEPHENS & BEAN CHAPEL 202 No. Teilman, Fresno (559) 268-9292Lic. #11