The Chicago Tribune reports: After 48 years in the Chicago Symphony, including 34 years as concertmaster, the legendary Samuel Magad is to retire this month, at the age of 73. Magad says he could have stayed on, but with Daniel Barenboim having made his exit, the violinist says now is a good time to step down. Magad was hired by Fritz Reiner in 1958, at the age of 25. Georg Solti appointed him concertmaster in 1972. No other player in CSO history has been concertmaster post longer. The legendary Adolph Herseth, who retired in 2001 after an unprecedented 53 years in the first trumpet chair.
Herseth, btw, is a native of Bertha, Minnesota. His story is a remarkable one, and I had the pleasure of talking to him just before his last concert. That became a feature on NPR's "Morning Edition," and you can listen to it here.
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