NEC Mourns Death of Conductor/Pianist Craig Smith ’69, ’72 M.M.
Craig Smith in Gladys Miller's Studio
For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2007
“In him, there was the perfect confluence of pure musician and fighter for justice. Emmanuel Music, through its music and charity, became the conscience of our community.” –Russell Sherman, Smith’s teacher at NEC
New England Conservatory mourns the death of one of its most distinguished alumni, the pianist and conductor Craig Smith ’69, ’72 M.M. Smith, who founded Boston’s Emmanuel Music while still a graduate student at NEC, had studied piano with NEC Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Russell Sherman. He also taught at the Conservatory from 1993—2000. Smith died Wednesday, the result of diabetes-related kidney failure.
As a piano major, Smith began singing in the choir at Emmanuel Church during his senior year. When the director left suddenly, the 21-year old Smith was asked to take the job. Although he had virtually no conducting experience, he put to use the things he had learned working as accompanist with NEC choral conductor Lorna Cooke deVaron and voice teacher Gladys Miller. During his first season, he came up with the “hare-brained” idea of performing the country’s first complete cycle of Bach cantatas—all 192 of them. What made these performances unique is that they were played in the setting for which they were conceived—as part of the Sunday liturgy. Despite ill-health, Smith continued to conduct Bach Cantatas on Sunday mornings for more than 35 years and most recently on November 4.
NEC President Tony Woodcock stated that “Smith represents the ideal of musical artistry. He was selfless in his commitment, always probing for the deepest expression and beauty, and generous in his willingness to put music to the service of human good.”
Over the years, Emmanuel Music became more than Bach Cantatas, although Bach remained the foundation of the ensemble’s music-making. With his handpicked, deeply devoted orchestra, chorus, and soloists, Smith undertook a revival of Handel operas and oratorios, giving U.S. premieres of several in their uncut form. He also collaborated on a cycle of Mozart/DaPonte operas with the stage director Peter Sellars that ultimately led to international performances and video recordings, and appointment as principal guest conductor at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Belgium. Smith and the Emmanuel forces were also frequent collaborators with choreographer Mark Morris. In addition, Emmanuel Music presented multi-year retrospectives of the chamber music of Schubert, Schumann, Debussy, and Brahms.
New music also figured in the Emmanuel repertory and there were world premieres of works by John Harbison and others.
Although Emmanuel Music was often short of funds itself, Smith and his musicians regularly staged benefit concerts for charities such as the AIDS Action Committee.
Many musicians who became important artists in Boston and around the world got their start at Emmanuel and continued to return there for artistic recharging. The most prominent of these was mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who began as violist in the orchestra and became a principal vocal soloist. Others included Sanford Sylvan, Jayne West, Lisa Saffer, Pamela Dellal, Frank Kelley, William Hite, Susan Larson, and Peggy Pearson. With Hunt Lieberson, Smith and Sellars created a heart-wrenching one-woman staging of two Bach solo Cantatas, No. 199 (My Heart Swims in Blood) and No. 82 (I Have Enough.)
Throughout his career, Smith stayed in close connection with his teacher Russell Sherman, inviting Sherman to appear with Emmanuel in concertos and solo works. The two recorded Mozart Piano Concertos together and this season Sherman is scheduled to perform the complete Bach English Suites in three concerts in January and February.
On learning of Smith’s death, Sherman paid tribute to his former student and colleague: “He represented the meaning of devotion. He always found this light of meaning and beauty in music. It was a torch he carried for us and for the whole community. We could discuss and argue and find points of common belief and difference. But all questions of interpretation were obliterated by the spirit of his devotion to music. He was there as the spirit of music. I’m more than proud of him. I’m a follower of him. “
Contact: Ellen Pfeifer
Public Relations Manager
New England Conservatory
617-585-1143
epfeifer@newenglandconservatory.edu