Chamber Music Advocate Anthony Checchia has Died, Aged 94

Checchia was a pivotal figure at both the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Marlboro Music Festival for half a century

Anthony P. “Tony” Checchia is remembered for his role in making Philadelphia one of the top cities in the country for chamber music. He had been in declining health over the last few years, according to a Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (PCMS) spokesperson, who announced his death. 

Checchia was a graduate of Jules E. Mastbaum High School and the Curtis Institute of Music (CIM) and served in the U.S. Navy Band. He also performed with the Baltimore Symphony and New York City Ballet. 

While attending the Marlboro Festival as a bassoonist, he met the renowned soprano Benita Valente, whom he married in 1959. Checchia attended Marlboro every year since 1956 and went for the final time this past summer.

As a director of the local branch of Young Audiences, Checchia brought hundreds of artists into schools and presented the pianist Richard Goode, who was 16 years old at the time. He also served as administrative director to Rudolf Serkin when the latter was director of CIM. 

Notably, it was Checchia’s leadership at PCMS and its sister organization, Marlboro Music, that solidified his pivotal role in championing chamber music in America. In 1986, he became PCMS’s founding artistic director, helping it become one of the most prestigious chamber music series nationally.

As Checchia told The Inquirer in 2010 about chamber music in the city in the 1980s when he and Philip Maneval founded PCMS, “There really was nothing going on.

“The Coffee Concerts [a once-active presenter] had stopped, the Musical Fund Society had stopped doing concerts,” he said. “Curtis had only recently opened its student concerts to the public. That was the incentive for doing it, because there was so little going on. I couldn’t believe a region of 3 million people couldn’t support this.”

However, PCMS soon expanded from seven concerts in its first year to nearly 50 today, alongside masterclasses, children’s concerts, and other events. 

Among Checchia’s awards included an honorary doctorate from the Curtis Institute, and a plaque on the Avenue of the Arts Walk of Fame. He gradually retired from PCMS, which is now run by Maneval and artistic director Miles Cohen.

“It’s so strange that Philadelphia, which is such a wonderful musical city with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Curtis Institute, wouldn’t have [had] a proper chamber music series. Tony ran it, and ran it wonderfully,” said pianist Mitusko Uchida, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Checchia brought many artists into Philadelphia including the Arditti, Guarneri, Hagen, and Juilliard string quartets; singers Elly Ameling, Arleen Auger, Ian Bostridge, Felicity Lott, Ewa Podles, Hermann Prey, Florence Quivar, and more; cellist Pablo Casals; and pianists Philippe Entremont, Rudolf Firkušný, Leon Fleisher, and András Schiff, among others. 

“[Checchia had been] a trailblazer for a very long time,” commented Chamber Music America’s CEO Kevin Kwan Loucks. “Whether it’s ticket prices (which have been kept very accessible) or the exceptional artistic quality, it’s a model of inclusivity that I think has inspired similar efforts nationwide.”

“He made a lot of my career happen,” reflected clarinetist Anthony McGill. “It wasn’t just him, it was the whole Curtis and Marlboro family that he was kind of the head of, and they welcomed me into it and changed my life … I always knew the importance of who he was in the field of classical music, but he was also, just in his presence, a mentor and father figure for so many, and for me especially.”

“While we mourn Tony’s passing, we celebrate his extraordinary life and achievements,” the PCMS wrote on Instagram. “Tony was a giant in the music world, yet his disarming personality, wonderful sense of humor, charm, and common touch belied his leadership skills and vision. Through the five decades he served Marlboro Music, by founding and leading PCMS in its first few decades, and through his many other pursuits, Tony advanced the artistry and careers of generations of musical leaders, and he transformed the musical life of Philadelphia.”

Mr. Checchia is survived by his wife and son. Our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.