The violinist and music education advocate infused classical canon with humor and infectious enthusiasm
Our hearts were heavy last fall when we learned of the passing of Geoff Nuttall, Spoleto Festival USA’s beloved director of chamber music. Known for his wild suits and hair matching an outsize stage presence (not to mention a staggering command of classical music history), the violinist, music education advocate, and founding member of the renowned St. Lawrence String Quartet first performed during the Spoleto series in 1995, when the quartet was invited by then-director Charles Wadsworth. Nuttall returned year after year, and in 2009 was appointed Wadsworth’s successor, infusing the classical canon with humor and infectious enthusiasm. In our May 2019 feature on Nuttall, he said he felt like an honorary Charlestonian: “I’ve lived in this city for at least three weeks every year since 1995. My wife [violinist Livia Sohn] and I got married here.... In my early years as a musician, I was on the road so much that Charleston was the one place I’d be for the longest chunk of time.” While Spoleto will never be the same without him, a memorial concert celebrating his life and his contributions will be held at the Gaillard Center on May 26, featuring the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, musical colleagues, and special guests. A soirée benefitting the Geoff Nuttall Legacy Fund, which provides chamber music programming to local schools, follows. Additionally, large-scale prints of Nuttall, taken by photographer Bill Struhs, will be on display in Ansonborough’s Theodora Park throughout this year’s festival. Rest in peace, kind sir.
