Bob Finn died

http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2011/07/robert_finn_longtime_classical.html


Robert Finn, longtime classical music critic of The Plain Dealer, dead at 81
Published: Monday, July 25, 2011, 12:20 PM Updated: Monday, July 25, 2011, 8:27 PM
By Grant Segal
Robert Finn 1930-2011
Survivors: wife, Mary; children, Laurence of Mayfield Heights and Elaine of Audubon, N.J.; and three grandchildren.
Funeral: 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Catholic Church of St. Clare, 5659 Mayfield Rd., Lyndhurst.
Contributions: Rainey Institute, 1705 E. 55th St., Cleveland, Ohio 44103, raineyinstitute.org, or Cleveland Chamber Music Society, 2532 Lafayette Dr., University Heights, Ohio 44118, clevelandchambermusic.org.
Arrangements: Fioritto Funeral Home.


Lyndhurst-- The bow-tied Robert Finn, who died Saturday, was an award-winning music critic, a widespread cultural leader and a calming influence in a profession not know for calm.
He once saw a young colleague, Karen R. Long, visibly stewing. In his modulated but resonant voice, Finn said, "There's always another story."
Finn, 81, was diagnosed with cancer about three months ago. He died at Hillcrest Hospital from complications.
"He was always a gentleman," Gary Hanson, executive director of the Cleveland Orchestra, said Monday. "He had an extraordinary balance. In a negative review, he would remain respectful. In a positive review, he would be enthusiastic without being a cheerleader."
Tom Feran, Plain Dealer reporter and former features editor, said, "He was a gracious man and a graceful writer. When you were with Bob Finn, you were in civilized territory."
Finn was a past president and a 45-year trustee of the Rainey Institute, which teaches arts to children on E. 55th St. Lee Lazar, Rainey's executive director, said, "As the voice of reason, he always brought us back to reality."
Finn critiqued classical music for The Plain Dealer from 1964 to 1992. He was president of the national Music Critics Association for two terms.
He co-founded the International Charles Dickens Fellowship's local chapter and chaired it for 22 years. In 2009, he spoke to a global gathering of that literary fan club here.
Finn won four awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He won the first Friends of Music Education Award from the Ohio Music Education Association. He accepted an invitation from President Carter to hear classical guitar genius Andres Segovia at the White House.
Finn wrote as he spoke: fluidly, with a gentle wit.
"The eerie moon and mist-laden trees lent a romantic charm to the magic of the program," he wrote about a Cleveland Orchestra concert at the Blossom Music Center in 1968. "But, alas, the whippoorwill did not sing."
In a rare mistake, he was once locked inside Detroit's Cobo Hall.
Finn was raised in Winthrop, Mass., and became a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox. He studied piano privately for 10 years and flute for four.
In high school, he was a copy boy and scholastic sports freelancer for the Boston Record-American. At Boston University, he edited the newspaper and helped create a discussion series featuring Eleanor Roosevelt and Norman Thomas.
During the 1950s, Finn served with the U.S. Army Security Agency in Hawaii, helping to crack Russian codes. He reported for the New England Newspaper Service and the New Bedford Standard Times. He continued with the Akron Beacon Journal from 1959 to 1964.
For The Plain Dealer, he covered many musical groups, including the Cleveland Orchestra from Severance Hall to Australia. At Severance, he chose seats toward the rear of the orchestra level for the best acoustics. He put the scores in his lap and followed the concerts with his ears and his eyes.
At first, Finn phoned in reviews of nighttime concerts for the next day's paper. One morning, the surname of composer Gabriel Faure became Foray. Finn began to deliver his typically impeccable copy in person the next day.
He strained to be fair but could not like all music equally. He hated some of the program at the popular July 4 concerts.
Finn wrote two books: "Exploring Classical Music" and "Symphonic Journey, Con Amore," a history of the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra. He also taught fellow critics in seminars around the country.
He loved crosswords and was often a finalist in the North American Championship Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Connecticut.
Finn retired in 1992 but hardly faded. He led the daily "Thanks for Listening Show" on WCLV-FM from 1992 to 1995. He taught for years at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Music School Settlement and elsewhere. He wrote program notes for the Cleveland Chamber Music Society and gave talks before performances by the Chamber Society, the Philharmonic and the Cleveland Opera.
He reviewed books on history and other subjects for The Plain Dealer. He reviewed a couple of concerts each summer at the Chautauqua Institution for its daily newspaper.
He freelanced for Opera News, American Record Guide and many other publications. He took up the Internet and wrote columns for publications on line. He served on several nonprofit boards.
Finn liked liberal politics, chocolate ice cream and short-wave radio. He scoured stores for used books, rare opera scores and more. He seldom drank liquor but had milk with most meals.
He steadily alerted The Plain Dealer to newsworthy figures for obituaries. Last July, in good health, he volunteered a resume for use in his own obituary when the time came.