Bennett, S.F. Symphony oboist, dies at 56

Principal oboist William Bennett collapsed in the middle of a performance last Saturday.

Principal oboist William Bennett collapsed in the middle of a performance last Saturday. Photo: SF Symphony Photo: SF Symphony Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Bennett, S.F. Symphony oboist, dies at 56 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

William Bennett, the longtime San Francisco Symphony oboist who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on Saturday night while performing Richard Strauss' Oboe Concerto with the orchestra in Davies Symphony Hall, died Thursday morning in a San Francisco hospital. He was 56.

Mr. Bennett, known to friends and fans alike as Bill, was an artist of extraordinary skill and imagination, whose musical contributions were a consistent highlight of any performance in which he took part. He had a distinctive tone that was both full-bodied and lyrical, and a ferocious technical ability that allowed him to make easy work of even the most challenging assignments.

Most striking, though, were the liveliness and unpredictability of his artistic choices. Whenever Mr. Bennett stepped into the spotlight, even momentarily, a listener could be sure that he would impart some original or unexpected twist to a familiar musical passage.

That artistic profile was in keeping with Mr. Bennett's personality. He was a buoyant and spirited man, quick with a chuckle or a joke, yet with a deep vein of seriousness about music. He was also an able cartoonist, whose sketches and caricatures during Symphony tours kept his colleagues amused.

"I am heartbroken by the tragic death of Bill Bennett, which has left a terrible, sad emptiness in the hearts of the whole San Francisco Symphony family," Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas said in a statement. "Bill was a great artist, an original thinker, and a wonderful man. I am saddened to have lost such a true friend."

Mr. Bennett was born May 31, 1956, in New Haven, Conn., the son of a Yale professor. He studied oboe at Yale and at the Juilliard School, then joined the Symphony in 1979. In 1987 he succeeded Marc Lifschey as principal oboist.

In 1992 he gave the world premiere of John Harbison's Oboe Concerto, which was commissioned for him by the Symphony. He performed the piece on tour throughout Europe and the United States, and recorded it for Decca. He was also featured as soloist in works by Mozart, Vivaldi, Jean Françaix and Frank Martin.

But the Strauss concerto held a special place for him. In a 1992 interview with The Chronicle before the premiere of Harbison's concerto, Mr. Bennett said he hoped the new piece would "be a piece that young players would hear and say, 'That's a reason for learning this instrument,' the way the Strauss concerto was for me."

When Mr. Bennett played the Strauss in 1991, The Chronicle's Robert Commanday hailed it as a "glorious" performance, marked by "elegance and poise."

In addition to his appearances with the Symphony, Mr. Bennett was an active participant in the Bay Area's musical life. He taught oboe at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he also coached woodwind ensembles. He performed often in chamber concerts, and appeared with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the Berkeley Symphony, Symphony Parnassus and other local groups.

Mr. Bennett was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2004, and was on leave for nine months undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments. But by the following summer he was healthy and performing with the orchestra again.

Mr. Bennett is survived by his wife, Peggy, sons Daniel and Michael, mother, Fran, and sisters Jean and Nancy. Plans for services are pending.