Allegro

Requiem

Volume CIII, No. 12December, 2003

Patrick H. Breen – Drums

Adolf A. CedroneGuitar

Jerry CitronPiano

Edward EdsonPiano

Bernard FrankPiano

Webster LewisPiano

Tommy Ortel (Ortolano)Saxophone

George J. SaslowCello

John SerryOrgan

Leo WhiteSaxophone


Jerry Citron

Jerry Citron, 74, a pianist and an 802 member since 1947, died on Sept. 25.

A native New Yorker, Mr. Citron studied piano privately at a very young age before attending the High School of Music and Art.

In his career, he played for films, television, recording projects and on Broadway. He was best known as an accompanist – and for his solo playing.

Mr. Citron was also a music businessman. He founded the Music Unlimited music store and rehearsal studio along with partners Frank Rehak and Morty Lewis.

One of his more unusual gigs was to record the score of “No, No Nanette” in the style of an old-fashioned piano roll. He also worked as a session musician for Johnny Mathis on the Columbia label, produced Latin jingles for Pepsi’s “Viva con Pepsi” campaign, composed for the Manhattan School of Music, appeared in the movie “A Doctor’s Story,” accompanied Carol Burnett on television, and, for over eight years, performed nightly at the Hotel Lexington’s Paul Revere Room.

In 1986, Mr. Citron moved to Florida and, for the past 15 years, performed nightly at Burt and Jack’s Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale

He is survived by his wife Evelyn, daughter Abby, son Robby and grandchildren Jeremy, Jessica, Lacey, Noah, Derek, Trisha, Michelle and Anthony.

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Edward Edson

Edward Edson, 82, a pianist and an 802 member since 1942, died on June 28.

Mr. Edson was born in McHenry, Ill. and later moved to Chicago. He moved to New York in the early 1940’s and was a founding member of the First Piano Quartet, a four-piano ensemble which performed extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada. The quartet recorded widely and had a weekly radio broadcast on NBC. In the early 1950’s the quartet was featured in a Twentieth Century Fox feature “Cinemascope,” which was subsequently nominated for an Academy Award. The Quartet also performed under a host of renowned conductors, including Erich Leinsdorf and Dimitri Mitropoulos.

Mr. Edson was also an esteemed piano teacher.

He is survived by his wife Beatrice, daughter Dana, son Randall and four grandchildren.

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George J. Saslow

George J. Saslow, 80, a cellist and music educator, and an 802 member since 1944, died on Oct. 4.

Mr. Saslow studied cello with Leonard Rose, Bernard Greenhouse, Diran Alexanian and others, and participated in music festivals at Marlboro (including the Pablo Casals master classes), Aspen, Tanglewood and Dartmouth. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and Mannes, and earned his M.A. from Columbia.

Mr. Saslow began his performing career as the principal cellist of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. He later returned to New York, performing chamber music as well as orchestral concerts under conductors such as Leon Barzin, Leopold Stokowski and Mstislav Rostropovich.

Mr. Saslow was also an esteemed music educator. He initiated the first instrumental training program in the New York Public Schools in 1948 and, in his career, worked for various schools in New York, including as an assistant principal and a supervisor of music. He was featured as a conductor of student orchestras on some of the earliest broadcasts on NBC and CBS.

Mr. Saslow was a member of the Richmond String Quartet in residence at Wagner College (Staten Island), and later worked at Kingsborough Community College as a lecturer and performer. He coached chamber music at the Meadowmount School of Music for several years as well as many other summer music centers, and was the director of the Hebrew Educational Society Music School (Brooklyn) for 15 years, also organizing and performing in chamber music concerts.

He is survived by his wife Helen, daughters Claudia (a professional violinist and 802 member) and Elizabeth, sister Ruth, brothers Max and Seymour, three grandsons and many nieces and nephews.

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