Eugene Weigel

Eugene Weigel was an American composer, violisi, organist, and teacher; b. Cleveland, October 11, 1910. He studied composition with Arthur Shepherd at Western Reserve University and violin with Maurice Hewitt at the Cleveland Inst. of Music (1930-32); later had composition lessons with Hindemith at Yale University and viola lessons with Hugo Kortschak. He was active as an organist and choirmaster and also was a founding member of the Waiden String Quartet. While at Yale University, he served as music director of its Thomas More Chapel and played viola in the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, appeared in various ensembles, including one in N.Y. with Hindemith on the viola d’amore in a performance of Bach’s St. John Passion. In 1946-47 he was again a member of the Waiden String Quartet during its residency at Cornell University He played in the first performances of Schoenberg’s String Trio and Ives’s 2nd String Quartet; continued to play with the quartet at the University of Illinois, where he also taught composition and experimental theory. In 1954-55 he held a Guggenheim fellowship. In 1955 he became composer-in-residence at Montana State University. in Missoula, which was renamed the University of Montana that same year; remained there until 1972. He also was a founder-member of the Montana String Quartet. In 1972 he retired to Vancouver Island, Canada; conducted the Malespina Chorus and was professor, emeritus at Malespina College. In later years, he devoted much time to writing poetry, preparing his memoirs, and pursuing an avid interest in architecture.