ITG member Seymour Rosenfeld, 82, a trumpeter with the Philadelphia Orchestra for 42 years and a longtime respected teacher, died March 8th 2005 at home of complications from a stroke.

"Seymour was a gifted trumpeter," said former student Jeffrey Curnow, associate principal trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra. "He was the keystone of the trumpet section for many years."

Seymour Rosenfeld started the trumpet at the age of eight. After graduating from Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey, Mr. Rosenfeld got his only professional training at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia on a scholarship in 1940: there he studied with Saul Caston. When he was drafted into the Army in 1942, he played in the 102nd Infantry Band at Camp Maxie, Texas. Mr. Rosenfeld was discharged in 1943 because of a medical condition that caused him to pass out in the 115-degree heat.

In 1943 and 1944, Mr. Rosenfeld played across the country as principal with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo until landing a job, aged 21, as principal trumpet in the St. Louis Orchestra, where he stayed until the Philadelphia appointment. He also played at Robin Hood Dell East, an outdoor venue in Philadelphia, in their summer concert series, until earning the position of second trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1946.

Mr. Rosenfeld never sought the position of principal trumpet because of his devotion to teaching. He taught for 40 years at Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music and gave private lessons to hundreds. He played his last concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra on August 27th, 1988. In a May 1989 ITG interview he commented "I've been asked 'What makes a good second trumpet player?' I think the answer is "a good player who isn't looking for a first job."

"For Seymour's 70th birthday, many students surprised him by marching down our street playing 'Happy Birthday' on trumpets to the tune of 'The Great Gate of Kiev,' " his wife of 57 years, Judi Rubenstone Rosenfeld, said.

Mr. Rosenfeld was a charter member of the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Rosenfeld is survived by daughters Carol Fiedman and Sara; sons Samuel and Philip; and seven grandchildren.

Link:
The Philadelphia Orchestra

Updated:
4th October with Gayle Ronan Sims' full obit from the Philadelphia Inquirer, used with many thanks.
5th October with extra material from Kevin Eisensmith's May 1989 interview in the ITG Journal