Curtis Mourns the Loss of Chas Wetherbee (Violin '88)
The Curtis Institute of Music mourns the loss of Charles “Chas” Wetherbee (Violin ’88), concertmaster of the Boulder Philharmonic, associate professor of violin at the University of Colorado Boulder, artistic director of the Dercum Center for Arts and Humanities and the Snake River Music Festival in Colorado, and first violinist of the widely acclaimed Carpe Diem String Quartet, who passed away on January 9, 2023, at age 56, following a battle with cancer.
Praised by The Washington Post as “a consummate artist…with flawless technique” and The Columbus Dispatch as “…a first rate showman…his double-stops, harmonics, and beautiful sound kept the audience spellbound,” the Buffalo, N.Y. native gave his first performances at age 6. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Aaron Rosand, Mr. Wetherbee attended the school from 1982—88. He made his debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under Symon Bychkov and went on to perform with the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovitch—as well as the Kyoto Symphony and Japan Philharmonic, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogotá, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Mexico, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra, among many others. In 1988, he toured Asia, giving performances in Seoul, Korea, as part of the 1988 Olympic Arts Festival.
As a recording artist, he was represented on Naxos, Seize the Music Records, Weasel Records and Vienna Modern Classics, as well as the Cascade labels; he was also featured on a recording with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra playing Massenet’s soaring “Meditation” from Thaïs.
A massive proponent of contemporary classical music and great literature of the past, Mr. Wetherbee gave the Russian premiere of GRAMMY Award winning composer John Corigliano’s Violin Concerto, and was invited back to perform the Beethoven concerto in the famous Shostakovich Philharmonic Hall. He also gave the Midwest premiere of the Penderski Violin Concerto in Columbus, Ohio, with the composer at the podium.
In 2002, Mr. Wetherbee gave the Latin American premiere of Corigliano’s Red Violin in Mexico City, and returned in 2003 for performances of the Szymanowski Violin Concerto. In November 2005, Charles commissioned and gave the world premiere of the Violin Concerto by composer Jonathan Leshnoff. He also performed the Leshnoff concerto in Mexico City, Mexico; Kyoto, Japan; Exmadura, Spain; Buffalo, N.Y., Duluth, Minn.; Breckenridge, Colo.; and Bocca Raton, Fla. In 2012, Charles performed the world premiere of the violin concerto by Korine Fujiwara in the National Gallery, Washington, DC, as part of the 100th Anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival. He played one of the world’s great violins, the AR 44.
The Curtis community extends our deepest condolences to Mr. Wetherbee’s wife Karina; his children; close friends; family members; and colleagues.
Find a note from John S. Davis, dean of the College of Music at the University of Colorado, Boulder HERE, and find out how to support Mr. Wetherbee’s family HERE.
Photo credits: 1.) Snake River Music Festival 2.) Carpe Diem String Quartet, cdsq.org 3.) Video courtesy of Colorado Public Radio Classical 4.) Carpe Diem String Quartet, cdsq.org