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SEAMAN SCHOLARS
In Memory of Mr. George S. Seaman
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A Lillian Camp photograph |
After suffering for the previous three months with an aggressive form of cancer, George Seaman passed away on the evening of March 24, 2003 in a hospice facility in Cambridge. He was 59.
For many years, George was a devoted teacher of Project STEP students. He taught students of all ages and levels in the program. George's blend of humanity, generosity, enthusiasm and excellence made him an ideal mentor of Project STEP students. For many of his students and their families, classical music could be a foreign world, but with George as their guide, they not only grew to love making music, but also learned valuable lessons in discipline and responsibility. George loved his students dearly, as he often referred to the younger ones as "cherubs" and "little angels."
In addition to Project STEP, George was an esteemed member of the faculties of the Longy School of Music and Phillips Academy in Andover. He leaves behind generations of enthusiastic music-loving students.
George also enjoyed a very active career as cellist, serving as the principal cellist of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and Boston Lyric Opera. He was also a member of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and Boston Ballet Orchestra and also made numerous appearances with the Boston Symphony, Handel and Haydn Society and the Bard Festival. An avid chamber musician, George was the cellist of the Arriaga String Quartet.
George held a Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory. While studying at Peabody, George was a member of the Baltimore Symphony. Upon graduation from Peabody, he became a member of the Washington National Symphony. George pursued additional study at the University of Texas and at Boston University, where he was a teaching assistant to George Neikrug.
George's principal teachers were Fausto Esteves, John Frazer, and George Neikrug. He also participated in chamber music master classes with Alexander Schneider, Claus Adam, Leonard Shure, and Berl Senofsky.
Through the generosity of George's wife Evie McFadden Seaman and his family, we at Project STEP are honored to announce the creation of the George R. Seaman Scholarship Fund. This fund will be used to support our students' comprehensive music training, as we plan to continue George's legacy of inspiring generations of talented young string players.
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A Brendan McFadden photograph |
Remembrances of George R. Seaman (1943-2003):
Adrya Sanchez
Adrya Sanchez began studying the cello with George when she joined Project STEP in 1997 as a first-grade student.
Shiloh Garvin and his mother Keisa Garvin
Shiloh Garvin began studying the cello with George when he joined Project STEP in September 2002 as a first-grade student.
Ndidi Menkiti
Ndidi Menkiti began her cello studies with George when she joined Project STEP in 1989 and is now a freshman at Harvard University.
Eugene Kim
Eugene Kim, Project STEP's Artistic Director, was a long-time friend of George.
James Freeman
James Freeman is the conductor for the Orchestra 2001 in Philadelphia, teaches at Swarthmore College, and played the String Bass in the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra for many years.
Henry Grunebaum
Dr.Henry Grunebaum, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is a family therapist teaching at and running The Couples and Family Clinic at the Cambridge Hospital, which is associated with the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Grunebaum was a former student and long-time friend of George.
Mike Huang
Mike Huang was a young cello student whom George started in 1991/1992.
Mary McFadden
Mary McFadden, President, Wareham Land Trust, Chair, Wareham Community Preservation Committee, is George's sister-in-law.
Andrew Plaut
Dr. Andrew Plaut is the Director of the NIHD Digestive Disease Research at Tufts-New England Medical Center. Dr. Plaut was a long-time student and friend of George.
Remembrance of George Seaman at the Boston Marathon
Anita Cohen and Sue Lopez, two friends of George Seaman and Evie McFadden, decided to do something in remembrance of George during the 2003 Boston Marathon. Sue Lopez ran the marathon with a t-shirt personalized by Anita Cohen, acknowledging the George R. Seaman Scholarship Fund at Project STEP. We thank Anita and Sue for this wonderful gesture.
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