MAURICE EDWARDS Obituary

EDWARDS--Maurice, of COVID-19 at age 97 in Englewood, NJ, on September 23, 2020. A man of many talents and passions, Maurice was a musician, singer, actor, theater and opera director, cantor, vocal coach, author, translator, and for many years the executive director and, later, artistic director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Born Maurice Levine in Michigan in 1922, he grew up in Madison, WI, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II; he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. Following the liberation of France, he studied at the Sorbonne; moving to New York after the war, he earned a B.A. from NYU and an M.A. from Columbia University. He began acting in the late 1940s and in the 1960s helped found a notable experimental theater company, the Cubiculo, in Hell's Kitchen. His performance credits include roles in the original Broadway productions of Fiddler on the Roof and The Golden Apple and the acclaimed mid-1950s Theatre de Lys production of The Threepenny Opera, among many others. His books include "How Music Grew in Brooklyn: A Biography of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra" (2006) and "Christian Dietrich Grabbe: His Life and His Works" (2016). Maurice is survived by his nephew, Allen Markson, of Columbia, MD, and grandnephew, Joseph Markson, of San Francisco, CA. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Ann, and by his son Jacob. His second wife, Romanian poet and composer Nina Cassian, died in 2014; Maurice's 2011 memoir, "Revelatory Letters to Nina Cassian," was inspired by her. All who knew Maurice will remember his immense erudition, indefatigable energy, and boundless good humor. His remains will be interred in a family plot in Madison. A memorial service is not yet planned due to the pandemic. Donations in his memory may be made to The Actors Fund at: https://actorsfund.org/ services-and-programs. For more information, contact James Waller at: [email protected] or Allen Markson at: [email protected]

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Published by New York Times on Sep. 27, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
for MAURICE EDWARDS

6 Entries

Howard Thomas Ray

September 21, 2023

21 September 2023,
In proximity to the anniversary of your passing, Maurice, your mentoring and inspiration will always belong to me, lingering forever. I have to make you proud. Thank you my dear friend.
Howard Thomas Ray

Cantor Lisa B. Segal

October 9, 2020

Maurice and I worked together for years at the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Brooklyn Academy of Music in the early 90s. I want to remember his fabulous, unbounded energy, his sonorous voice (that I can hear in my head), his passion and brilliance for music and theater and artists and writers and historical memory, the way he would take my arm and draw me in for conversation with a dramatic, lifted eyebrow followed by that fabulous laugh and smile. He loved my husband, Arthur Strimling, and they never ran out of things to talk about, especially their shared Threepenny Opera and other theater experiences. Many years after we worked together, he knew I'd gone to cantorial school and was becoming a cantor, one of the many skills and offerings he gave to the world, too, and he was so supportive. Arthur and I were with him to celebrate his marriage in 1998 to his beloved Nina Cassian, z'l. We kept in touch for many years, and although I'm sad to say we'd lost touch in the last 10 years, I cherish his memory - may it be a blessing, always.

Alice Zinnes

October 4, 2020

This photo was taken in April 2016 on the occassion of my mother, Harriet Zinnes's 97th birthday. Maurice and Harriet had been the closest of friends since the early 1970's. Maurice was like a favorite uncle to me, and I suspect I was like a niece to him. He certainly treated me as if I were. I adored him. I loved his passion, knowledge, warmth, incredible experience – everything. I was in high school when he and my mom met, which means he had been a major force throughout all my adult life. I can’t believe his powerful voice is now silent, though it isn’t really silent because I hear it every day. I remember how, just a couple of years ago he took the subway at night to an exhibition of mine (I'm a painter) in the Lower East Side, and quite naturally collected a spell-bound audience of my guests around him, as he told story after fascinating story. Just before he moved to Roosevelt Island he gave me some of his beautiful art books which now live in my studio, and which I will always treasure as a very heart-felt remembrance of his support of my mother and me.

Howard Ray

October 4, 2020

Maurice, my greatest mentor, and very close friend. I am proud to be a part of your legacy.
Deep River, my home is over Jordan, Deep River Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.