Julie Anne Vaverka, Principal Clarinet, 1978-2007
(Born September 6, 1953, Enid, OK; died October 5, 2007, Manchester, NH.)
Obituary by Sue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin and Andrew Wilson
The one thing that colleagues and friends will remember most about Julie Vaverka is her voice, whether from the other end of the telephone line, or from the bell of her clarinet. Julie never had to fear that she would not be heard. She was a commanding presence, with a speaking voice that could reach across the prairie expanses of her native Oklahoma. One only had to hear the first words to know that Julie was on the telephone, often with the welcome news that she was offering orchestral employment to New England's musicians. More importantly, however, was the voice of beauty, grace, and harmony that she summoned from her clarinet during the hundreds of classical concerts in which she performed throughout New England for more than thirty years.
That voice was stilled in a Manchester, NH, hospital on October 5, 2007, after a long and valiant battle with metastatic breast cancer.
Raised on the family wheat farm in Marshall, Oklahoma, Ms. Vaverka took a different path from an early age. She started learning piano at the age of 5 and, towards the end of elementary school, chose the clarinet. As a child, she often played duets with her trumpet-playing dad (and sometimes trios when brother Jesse joined in), learning traditional Czech polkas first-hand in the thriving ethnic community of Garfield and Kingfisher Counties. Her musicianship developed rapidly as her mom drove her to Enid each week to study with Dr. Max Tromblee, clarinet instructor of the Phillips University Music Department. She later enrolled at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy, determined to become a professional clarinetist. She then went to study with Steve Girko at Oklahoma University, at the Eastman School of Music under Stanley Hasty, and later with Boston Symphony principal clarinetist Harold Wright. At age 19 she became the youngest member of the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra.
After moving to the Boston area in the 70's, she established herself as an indispensable, passionate free-lance artist and teacher. She soon became a member of the New Boston Wind Quintet, and in 1978, co-founded the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra cooperative. Julie was profoundly devoted to the orchestra as principal clarinet, soloist, and concert organizer until her death. She also performed regularly with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Boston Ballet Orchestra, and the Springfield (MA) Symphony. She was a regular member of the Monadnock Festival Orchestra and the New Hampshire Symphony, serving simultaneously as clarinetist and personnel manager for both organizations. Springfield Symphony principal clarinetist Michael Sussman, her colleague of over 30 years, described her this way: "Julie certainly studied with great teachers — Wright, Hasty, Moyse — but when she first came to this area, she was already a really excellent player. Of course she grew musically over the years. But she was just a natural, great musician, and she loved her colleagues."
One of her career highlights was playing by Mr. Wright's side as interim second clarinet of the Boston Symphony for the two years prior to Mr. Wright's death, and for the two years following. At the BSO she also performed with the BSO Chamber Players at Prelude Concerts at Symphony Hall, at the Tanglewood Music Festival, and as a founding member of the Boston Wind Octet with Harold Wright and now-retired BSO oboist Alfred Genovese. Genovese recalls, ""Julie was so darn good — a fantastic musician! She was plenty talented to be a regular member of the BSO, and when we played together, she was just one of us. She was also an amazing friend, and I loved her like a sister."
Ms. Vaverka recorded for both the Boston Pops and the Boston Symphony Orchestra during her time with the orchestra. These recordings include Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole under Bernard Haitink, and the movie soundtrack for Schindler's List under John Williams, for which she performed as principal clarinetist.
During rehearsals Julie was famous for her infectious laugh and straight-from-the-hip manner. Her deep love of animals was ever-present at rehearsals in the form of a tiny, impeccably behaved dog lying on stage in a soft carrier next to her clarinet case. Well-concealed, conductors never seemed to even notice that a dog was there.
A devoted and beloved teacher, Ms. Vaverka served on the faculties of Phillips Exeter Academy, the Boston Conservatory of Music, University of Connecticut, Boston University, and Dartmouth College. She maintained lifelong connections with many of her students, who were deeply touched by the continued love she devoted to them long after their studies were completed. Rohan Smith, chairman of the music department at Exeter, where Julie taught for over 20 years, described her impact on the school: "The Academy simply came alive in Julie's presence. Over the years, letters arrived from Exeter graduates who mentioned that she imparted not just incredible skills, but her love of music and life."
In 1997, Ms. Vaverka decided to relocate to New Hampshire, where she was teaching and playing more and more. Eva Gruesser, concertmaster of the NH Symphony, recalls that Julie "was the heart and soul of the New Hampshire Symphony, as well as the motor that kept it going." After a long search, she bought some land atop Mount Delight, where she could relish the pace of country life and yet manage frequent commutes to Boston. She had a home built to her designs and relished being surrounded by farmland again. Her yard soon grew into an organic Eden of horticultural wonders, from exotic, fragrant flowers to European heirloom tomatoes and Crandall currants, all lovingly tended until her final days.
Julie was also a talented cook and wine connoisseur. Her passion for the culinary arts nearly drove her to give up music as a career in order to pursue her equally compelling dream to become a professional chef. She enrolled at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and after completing her degree, realized she simply could not tolerate the large musical hole in her life. She returned to music, but shared her extraordinary culinary gifts with others at every possible turn. Whether sublimely turning a phrase of Schubert or delicately turning a coq au vin, her life reflected an enormous heart and consummate artistry.
Plans for a celebration of her life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, 107 Brighton Avenue, Suite #1, Boston, MA 02134.