John Iuele

IUELE John Iuele, 91, of Winston-Salem died Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008, at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. John Iuele was born on Feb. 23, 1916, in Tessano, Italy, to Concetta Iaccino and Vincenzo Iuele. By the age of 8, he began playing the trumpet in a grade-school band. Interestingly, he thought that he would be learning the clarinet, but when the instruments arrived he was assigned the trumpet. This was the first step in what would take him into a lifelong career in music. In 1928, John and his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Niagara Falls, N.Y. In high school, he excelled in playing the trumpet, so much so, that his high school guidance counselor convinced him to apply to Michigan State University. He graduated from MSU with a degree in instrumental music. He studied trumpet and conducting for two summers at Tanglewood, Mass., where he met and worked with Leonard Bernstein. He was encouraged to do further study in New York City where he attended the Julliard School of Music. While at Julliard, he studied under Thor Johnson. Johnson encouraged him to pursue conducting, and he started seeking work both as a trumpet player and as a conductor. He played three seasons with the New York City Symphony, the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, a summer season with the Detroit Symphony and a special concert with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He performed under the direction of the leading conductors of the time - Toscanini, Stokowski, Leinsdorf and Koussevitsky. In 1950, he moved to Atlanta, Ga., to play first trumpet with the Atlanta Symphony, and later became the assistant conductor to Henry Sopkin. In 1952, with Sopkin' s recommendation, he became the full-time conductor of the Winston-Salem Symphony. He commuted from Atlanta to Winston-Salem for three years before moving permanently to the area in 1955. Under Iuele' s leadership, the Winston-Salem Symphony went from a modest community orchestra to a highly professional one. He started a series of in-school concerts that brought symphonic music directly to the area schools. Many Winston-Salem residents today still remember hearing these concerts from their childhood. He also started the Music at Sunset summer series to bring symphonic music to a family-friendly outdoor setting. In 1978, Iuele left the Winston-Salem Symphony to become the conductor and musical director of the Palm Beach Symphony for three years. Upon retirement from the symphony, he directed the Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Society for another two years. When his wife, Alice, passed away suddenly in 1987, he traveled and eventually moved back to North Carolina. He lived in Asheville for a brief time to be closer to his daughter, Kathy, and her family. In the early 1990s, he moved back to Winston-Salem and began renewing the many friendships that he had made during his tenure with the Winston-Salem Symphony. He enjoyed an active social life and was often seen in the company of his dear friend, Caroline Ebeid. John Iuele was predeceased by his wife, Alice Amsden Iuele; his parents; and brothers Ernest and Ornello Iuele. John is survived by a younger sister, Theresa Basta of Mission Viejo, Calif.; a younger brother, Orlando Iuele of Santa Barbara, Calif.; son Jim and daughter-in-law Joanne Iuele of Bedford, Texas; daughter Kathy and son-in-law Jay Banks of Winston-Salem; grandson John Banks of Brooklyn, N.Y.; granddaughter Alice and her husband, Kevin Littlewood, of Raleigh; and granddaughter Theresa Banks of Boone. Services will be held at 2 p.m. today, Jan. 30, at St Paul' s Episcopal Church, Summit Street, Winston-Salem (please note the change in location of services). Burial services will be held a later date in East Lansing. Online condolences may be made at www.Salemfh.com. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Music School of Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.; the Winston-Salem Symphony; or a charity of the donor' s choice. The family wishes to thank the residents and staff of Independence Village for their wonderful support and many acts of kindness during John Iuele' s stay with them. (Salem Funeral Home)