Genualdi to Take His Final Bow

The following article is reprinted from the Sunday, May 14, Connecticut Post. Robert Genualdi became the headmaster of Andrew Warde High School during our senior year (1975-1976), and he remained in that capacity at Fairfield High School until his retirement in 1993.

A "real hero, who has worked in the trenches" to educate and guide thousands of young musicians in the region, is one way to describe Robert S. Genualdi. It is, indeed, how renowned jazz musician and composer Chris Brubeck characterizes Genualdi, who will be honored next weekend at events to mark his upcoming retirement as music director of the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras.

A resident of Bridgeport's Black Rock section, Genualdi is now in his 26th season at the helm of one of the state's largest nonprofit youth orchestras. He will retire on June 30; succeeding him will be Theresa Diaz McGee of Glastonbury. Genualdi, who also is conductor of the GBYO's Principal Orchestra, will be feted at a cocktail reception at the Patterson Club in Fairfield, at which the Genualdi Enrichment in Music (GEM) fund will be inaugurated.

His final concert, featuring GBYO award-winning student cellist Kara Hartten of Redding, is slated for next Sunday at 3 p.m. at the University of Bridgeport's Bernhard Center for the Arts & Humanities, at the corner of University and Iranistan avenues. A reception, open to the public, will follow the concert at the center.

Genualdi, a septuagenarian who was reared in Chicago, is a former public school music teacher who rose to become headmaster at Fairfield's then-Andrew Warde High School (later Fairfield High School) from 1975 to his retirement in 1993. A professional bassist, Genualdi continues to teach privately and to perform with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony.

GBS Maestro Gustav Meier, who along with Brubeck, is serving on the honorary committee for Saturday's event, pointed out in a recent e-mail that Genualdi "has had an immeasurable impact on thousands of young musicians."

"He built this organization with his dedication and love for music from a small orchestra into several orchestras. A fine musician, conductor, and person, Bob's vision, hard work and personal example are directly responsible for the orchestras' unparalleled success," Meier added.

When Genualdi took over the reins of the GBYO in September, 1980, it consisted of "one orchestra and one conductor — that was it," Genualdi recalls.

During his watch, the GBYO expanded to four orchestras — each designed for students at specific skill levels — with five professional paid coaches and four conductors (including his wife, music educator and GBS violist Dorothy Straub).

The group, which was founded in 1961, now features more than 265 tuition-paying musicians 10 to 18 years old — from more than 30 towns in Fairfield and New Haven counties — who rehearse Saturdays throughout the school year at Fairfield Ludlowe High School.

GBYO Executive Director Barbara Upton, who has been involved with the GBYO since 1989 (initially as a parent of a musician, volunteer and board member), explains that Genualdi's contributions are vast, as is "his joy in teaching these youngsters." "Under Bob's guidance and leadership, I've watched the program grow in size, stature and musical competency," she says.

Upton says that one of Genualdi's greatest contributions was the creation of a "developmentally sequential program" for the GBYO.

"At each orchestral level the members are not just taught to play the music, but are given the opportunity to learn skills to enable them to advance," Upton mentioned. "Students do not all learn and advance at the same rate, so progression into a higher seat or a higher orchestra is not automatic. That privilege is earned through continued study, practice and hard work.

"In that regard, Bob has always maintained an incredible balance between impartiality and empathy. . . . That combination of musical professionalism and the 'teacher' in him, account for a goodly portion of the high retention rate of GBYO members," Upton says.

Genualdi also is credited with instituting the practice of commissioning a work (specifically for the group's advanced Principal Orchestra) and employing a professional soloist — on alternating years — for one of the GBYO's annual concerts. In music circles, this is considered a huge achievement, in as much as student musicians rarely have the opportunity to play with the pros or to perform works that are tailored to their strengths.

In the past, it's been funded through the GBYO operating budget. However, as a tribute to Genualdi and to ensure that the practice continues, the GBYO has established the GEM fund, the first endowed fund in GBYO history. "We live in the 21st century, so our kids should get accustomed to performing music of their time," Genualdi says of his commitment to commissioning new pieces.

For the most part, "orchestras perform music from dead composers, from the 18th and 19th centuries," he says, laughing. "So it's a wonderful experience for them to have the opportunity to meet and interact with a real live composer."

One of those composers was Brubeck, who was commissioned by Genualdi in the early 1990s to write a concerto for trombone and orchestra. That 16-minute piece, done in three movements, was debuted at the GBYO with Brubeck as trombone soloist. (Brubeck would go on to record that very same piece with the London Symphony Orchestra.)

"And performing with first-rate professional musicians is a tremendous plus" for the students, who often "are inspired" by their sense of purpose and dedication, Genualdi explains. One of those professional musicians was Genualdi's son, Joseph, founding member of the Chicago Chamber Musicians and first violinist with the Chicago String Quartet, who performed with the GBYO this past February.

The concert was, Genualdi says, a high point of his life. "I nurtured him as a musician from the time he was 6 . . . To have the opportunity to conduct and to have Joe as the soloist was thrilling." Genualdi says that he decided a few years ago to urge the GBYO board to initiate a search for a new director in order to foster "an orderly transition." "Music has been a very, very important part of my life since I was a child. And it always will be.

"But it's time to go. I'm happy. I think I met my goals pretty well, and established an orchestra of the quality" that compares with the best in the region.

Contributions to the GEM Fund may be sent to the GBYO, 80 Maryanne Drive, Monroe, CT 06468. General admission tickets for next Sunday's concert are $12 and $10 for children and senior citizens; they will be available at the door. Admission to the post-concert reception is free. Additional information on Saturday's party may be obtained from GBYO Executive Director Barbara Upton at 452-0003, or by visiting http://www.gbyo.org/.