Veteran percussionist and music director Vic Firth dies at 85 in Boston on July 26. He is the man behind the company that produces high quality drumsticks, which is also named after him.
The New York Times honored the late musician of his works both as a timpanist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and also as the musical director of the same orchestra. He served 40 years in that critically acclaimed institution and he was dubbed as the single greatest percussionist in the world by one of the distinguished conductors, Seiji Ozawa.
The Boston Globe said that Firth didn't really plan to have a name as one of the world's most famous manufacturers of drumsticks. It just all changed when he became frustrated with the drumsticks he had been using that time. It was in the 1960s that he realized the drumsticks couldn't exactly meet the standards and the needs of a full symphonic genre.
Philly Voice reported that Vic Firth died in his house in Boston. He was the son of a trumpet player and he started with percussion and drums in high school. He joined the orchestra in Boston when he was 21 while he was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music.
He was BSO's principal timpanist and he worked with other distinguished musicians Leonard Bernstein and Leopold Stokowski just to name a few. He eventually retired working from the orchestra in 2002. His musicianship was outstanding and his timing was impeccable.
His drumstick business started in 1963 and it was said to be the pioneer when it comes to stick design. His wife Olga along with his daughters Tracy and Kelly DeChristopher were with him when he died. His works won't be forgotten and everybody knows the kind of legacy he has left the music scene.
