Fred Fennell shaking hands with current Eastman Wind Ensemble Conductor Mark Scatterday onstage at Eastman Theatre after a concert in October 2004

Frederick Fennell, the legendary founder of the Eastman Wind Ensemble died on December 7, 2004 at his home in Florida. Fennell attended Eastman as an undergraduate percussion major and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1937. He received a master’s in conducting from Eastman in 1939 and stayed on to join the conducting faculty. Fennell had also studied conducting at the Interlochen National Music Camp and at the Salzburg Mozarteum. At Eastman, Fennell conducted the Eastman Opera Theatre and the Eastman Chamber Orchestra, but will always be remembered as the creator, in 1952, of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. During his tenure with that remarkable organization, Fennell recorded twenty-two albums for Mercury Records: many of these recordings are still available on CD. In 1977, Stereo Review selected Fennell’s recording of Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy as one of the "Fifty Best Recordings of the Centenary of the Phonograph."

After leaving Eastman in 1962, Fennell’s experiences on the podium included: associate music director of the Minneapolis Symphony, conductor-in-residence at the University of Miami, conductor of the Kosei Wind Orchestra, and principal guest conductor of the Interlochen Arts Academy and Dallas Wind Symphony. The current conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Mark Scatterday, commented on Fennell’s legacy: "Frederick Fennell changed music. He was short in height, but huge in stature and character. He was the consummate professional and entertainer – and a class act in every way. He will be deeply missed, but never, ever forgotten." Frederick Fennell is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Ludwig-Fennell, and his daughter, Catherine Fennell Martensen.