Yesterday was a very sad day for me and for the HSO. Our Orchestra Manager, Bill Schmieding died in his sleep on Wednesday night. He was only 55 years old.

Bill had managed the orchestra since before I came to Harrisburg. He had been a violinist in the Tulsa Philharmonic, before turning to management. He had profound knowledge of orchestral repertoire, and brought a lot of great music to my attention.

No one knew the ins and outs of the Harrisburg Symphony like Bill. His job encompassed a wide range of duties, ranging from personnel management to stage management and artistic and technical administration. He made sure that there was a high-quality orchestra on stage every rehearsal and performance, as well as ensuring for everything else that went into a performance. Nobody outside of the orchestra world can understand how important a good manager is to the success of what’s on stage. We in the HSO were very fortunate to have Bill. I don’t really know how we will smoothly operate without him.

On a personal level, Bill was my friend. He was not always the easiest guy to be with. He was an unabashed curmudgeon and cynic, but had a good sense of humor about himself, and about others. He, like all of us, had his demons, but he kept them in check. More than anything (except his wife and daughter), he loved the orchestra. He took great pride in his work, and when the orchestra played well, he never crowed or waxed poetic, but you could see in his quiet contentment, enormous pride in a job well done.

Sadly, his health was his Achilles heel. We all had a sense that it would eventually get the better of him, but nonetheless, his death came as a terrible shock.

My condolences go out to his family. I will miss him very much.