Less than seven weeks after he was inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame, Richard Weiner passed away on December 30, 2018 at the age of 82. He was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra for 48 seasons (1963–2011), 43 years as principal percussionist. He was still on the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he taught percussion for 55 years, influencing multiple generations of percussionists.

“I wanted to thank you for making my experience at PASIC18 unforgettable,” Weiner wrote in an e-mail to PAS Executive Director Joshua Simonds on December 25. “From the induction ceremony and wonderful video, to the front-row seats for the Blue Man Group, to coordinating with my daughters for their surprise attendance, to shipping the beautiful engraved award. You have always treated Jackie and me so well.”

Ever the percussion educator, Weiner submitted an article to Percussive Notes just days before he died. Look for his article on the glockenspiel part to “Waldweben (Forest Murmurs)” from Richard Wagner’s opera Siegfried in the March 2019 issue of Percussive Notes.

“Richard Weiner leaves a lasting legacy and will be greatly missed,” stated Jerry Noble, Director of Percussion at Wright State University and a member of the Dayton Philharmonic. “Although I didn’t study with him, I have Rich to thank for getting me on the path of music, as he auditioned me for the Cleveland Orchestra’s Youth Orchestra when I was in high school. What an eye-opening start for a kid—hour-long triangle coachings during percussion sectionals! And watching him perform with the orchestra while I was a student at Cleveland State was inspiring.

“Rich was such a giving friend and mentor to so many people,” added Noble. “As I got to know him over the years. I was inspired by how much he served his communities, how much he cared for others, and his passion for our career field. Rich was a selfless gentleman.”

In his letter nominating Weiner to the PAS Hall of Fame, John Kinzie, principal percussionist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the percussion chair at the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver, wrote, “Rich was the most passionate percussionist I ever met. I only auditioned at one school, the Cleveland Institute, so I could study with him. I had no idea how great a teacher Rich would be. He was such an incredible influence on my musical life.

“The most important aspect of Richard Weiner was that he was a one-of-a-kind individual,” Kinzie added upon learning of Weiner’s death. “You probably won’t meet someone with this kind of passion for life, love for music and humanity, devotion to encouraging excellent students and respectful individuals, and always finding joy in all aspects of living beyond just music. He has been a great inspiration to my life.”

Alan Abel, former percussionist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and a member of the PAS Hall of Fame recalls meeting Weiner in the early 1960s when he was a student of Charlie Owen at Temple University. “Musical integrity and maintaining his ‘chops’ were always at the forefront of his orchestral career,” Abel said. “And I had a ‘blast’ playing snare drum with him in Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade’ during the Symphonic Emeritus Section performance at PASIC 2015!”

Robert van Sice, chair of percussion studies at Yale University, recalled his former teacher: “Richard Weiner was a role model to all of us during our school days in Cleveland. He was a man who played the same way he lived—with tons of class. I will miss him, and I count myself lucky to have known him.”

Another former student, David Fishlock, principal percussionist in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, said Weiner “always strove for perfection and helped his students develop that same ear for excellence in their own playing. He raised the bar as a teacher, he raised the bar as a player, and he raised the bar as an employee of a professional orchestra. Rich’s commitment to the profession of music was comprehensive and broad in a way few have matched before or since.”

Eric Shinn, principal percussionist with the National Symphony Orchestra, said that “Rich had a brilliant mind, great sense of humor, and was totally devoted to his craft. Although I miss him so much, I will always have many fond memories. As a student I remember his effortless practice pad demonstrations, flawless performances with the orchestra, and his mysterious love for caffeine-free Pepsi! Most of all, I will remember him as a wonderful person, to whom I owe my professional career.”

Lenny Sakofsky, a former Weiner student currently performing with the New Zealand Symphony, said, “Richard Weiner was a wonderful, supportive mentor and a great human being. From our first encounter, I felt welcomed and at ease due to his positivity and amazing energy. Listening to him play and speak with such wisdom and enthusiasm, one could not help but feel empowered by him. He made me feel like I could do anything!”

According to Allen Otte, professor emeritus at the College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, who was inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame with Percussion Group Cincinnati, “There was no better orchestral percussionist in our times. Period. It was not just the intimidating technical mastery and the obvious integrity, but also the elegance of what Rich brought to traditional orchestral percussion playing that provided the example to follow, especially for someone who might wish to make an entire career in contemporary music—to aspire to bring what he had shown to be possible with percussion to a whole other kind of music; a wonderful legacy for which so many of us are so grateful. I remain always his student.”

Tim Adams, chair of the percussion department at the University of Georgia and former principal timpanist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, said that the day he met Weiner, his life was transformed. “He is the reason that I have, and continue to have, a career in music today,” said Adams. “His character, his passion, and his sensitivity are traits that I will carry and teach for the rest of my life.”

Tom Freer, assistant principal timpanist with the Cleveland Orchestra, played alongside his former teacher for over two decades. “Gratitude is the single word that sums up my feelings about Richard Weiner,” he said. “To this day, I always hear Rich’s voice in the back of my head: ‘You know, that was good. However….’ A quote all of his students will recognize for sure! Acknowledging the good, yet never content and always striving to improve.”

Freer paused with emotion before continuing, “I have a career in music because of him. I’ve been a decent teacher because of what he taught me in school and on the job. I’ve become a stick maker because he said, ‘If they don’t exist, then YOU make them, only make them better.’ As hard as I try, I will never live up to the standards he set, but I’ll keep trying. I cannot thank him enough.”

This writer was honored to spend many hours this past summer interviewing Rich and trying to capture his many talents and achievements for his Percussive Notes Hall of Fame tribute article. I hope I did him justice; he was a very special person. As he told me, “I’d like to be remembered for the manner, integrity, and passion with which I approached my instrument. But perhaps my most treasured legacy is what I hope was the inspiration I gave to my students through my teaching methods and interactions with them.” I think he succeeded.

For more information about the life and career of Rich Weiner, please refer to his Hall of Fame article in the November 2018 issue of Percussive Notes.

Friends who wish may contribute to the Richard Weiner Percussion Scholarship Fund c/o The Cleveland Institute of Music, 11021 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106 or e-mail development@cim.edu

Read Richard Weiner’s PAS Hall of Fame profile here.

—Lauren Vogel Weiss