Frank J. Bellino

Frank J. Bellino, 85, a retired music professor at Denison University, died Monday, June 10, 2013 at his home. He was born July 28, 1927 in West New York, NJ to the late Dominic and Maria (Viggianni) Bellino.

Frank is survived by his daughter, Ann Bellino, of the home.

There is no better way to honor a loving father than to have calling hours 2 to 4 P.M. on Father's Day, Sunday, June 16, 2013 at McPeek-Hoekstra Funeral Home, 133 S. Prospect St, in Granville. A memorial gathering will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to Second Chance Humane Society, P.O. Box 286, Johnstown, Ohio 43031 or to All Tails Rescue, 12591 Worthington Road, Pataskala, Ohio 43063. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.

Frank Bellino - A Profile

For the Viola d'Amore Society of America, in his own words......

My first remembrance and actual contact with the viola d'amore was as a Fulbright student Scholar during the 50's in Rome, Italy. It was a most memorable year for many reasons- I was studying viola with Renzo Sabatini of the "Virtuosi di Roma" fame, doing ensembles with Guido Agosti at St. Cecilia Conservatory, becoming friends with Clare Kroyt and Joe Ceo (also as a Fulbrighter) who were both studying with Sabatini and, following my Rome residence, joining the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in Athens, Greece for a 7 week tour of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. I had been playing with Minneapolis for 4 years before Rome and continued doing so after the tour. Although for me the emphasis was on the viola, it was impossible to escape the inevitable and with a borrowed instrument from Maestro Sabatini I was ushered into the world of Viola d'Amore for a brief encounter. In 1964-65 I fulfilled a promise to myself to return for further study with Sabatini with the help of a sabbatical leave from Denison University- this took up the major part of the academic year.

I was reared in West New York, New Jersey, a town positioned opposite Manhattan next to the Hudson River. At the age of 7 years I began taking private hourly lessons on a quarter size violin and made my debut publically at age 10 playing Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer." It was as a part of a school production and my costume consisted of tails and a white tie.

As a high school student I enrolled in the "Henry Street Settlement" school of music on New York's lower eastside, one of the better decision's I've made. World War II with Japan was still a reality when I graduated, so as they say, I joined the Navy "to see the world." I didn't see much of it since the war ended shortly after my enlistment. My naval experience included very little music but made me determined to follow a musical career upon release.

The next 6 years were occupied pursuing undergraduate studies at Ohio U. (Athens, OH), graduate work at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY) with Francis Tursi, a summer session at Tanglewood in "the old days" where I could gaze upon and listen to musicians from the Boston Symphony, Sergei Kousevitsky, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copeland, etc., and a number of summer sessions at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. These were pre Aspen years when Colorado College held festivals with well known musicians as faculty- the likes of Louis Persinger, Roy Harris, Joseph Gingold and Leonard Rose. My teacher was Ferenc Molnar, principal viola of the San Francisco Symphony.

My life has always included symphonic employment of various sorts. During the Eastman years with the Rochester Philharmonic, then the Houston Symphony followed by the Mnpls Symphony. And sprinkled in between were the Grant Park Symphony of Chicago and the North Carolina Symphony. I took a "leave of absence" from the Mnpls orchestra to fulfill my Fulbright obligations.

Searching for new horizons to experience, my sights focused on college teaching at which point Denison University in Granville, OH "made me an offer I couldn't refuse" (to use a well known Mafia phrase). So I called their bluff and am now a Professor Emeritus of this institution. It was a sabbatical which encouraged my work with Renzo Sabatini in 1964-65 and I was able to invite both Clare Kroyt and Karl Stumpf as guest recitalists to Dension.

I have 2 instruments made by Giorgio Corsini (Rome)- I commissioned one in 1965 and several years later bought a viola d'amore also by Corsini that belonged to Sabatini, the exact duplicate of the commissioned one but made in 1962 which I prefer because of its sound and projection. These instruments are on the larger side and have curly maple, one piece backs. The situation of having 2 instruments was very convenient especially when teaching because very few students had instruments and on most occasions I loaned my 1965 Corsini to them for this purpose.

My original intention was to teach at Denison U. for 1 year but reality turned it into a change of plans since I spent over 30 years in this position teaching strings, chamber music, conducting the college-community orchestra, performing plus the other responsibilities that go along with the job. I spent a significant amount of time in the pursuit of other activities in addition to these duties beyond and within the Denison U. borders; playing principal viola with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (Ohio) for 11 years and making a guest appearance with them on the viola d'amore in solo and ensemble spots; being invited to assume the principal viola position with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane, Australia, who took advantage of my d'amore specialty through broadcast and guest artist appearances; becoming principal viola with La Scala Opera Orchestra in Milan, Italy; guest appearances with orchestras and recitals at Ohio U. (my alma mater), Oberlin College, Southern Illinois University, Stephens College (MO), the University of Missouri, the Missouri Orchestra for the Performing Arts (Columbia, MO), the Queensland Theatre Orchestra (Brisbane, Australia), the Erie Chamber Orchestra (PA), Capital U. (OH), solo appearances at ASTA conferences in Austria and England with Eduard Melkus conducting; guest faculty at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music; Wooster College (OH), several appearances with my own orchestra as soloist and conductor; guest recital on New York's radio station WQXR in their series of programs entitled "Artists in Concert." These and other performances afforded me the opportunity to work with a number of fine musicians; Ricardo Muti, Claudio Abado, Georg Tintner, Lorin Mazel, Franco Ferrara, Igor Stravinsky, Erich Leinsdorf, Antal Dorati, Pierre Monteaux, etc.

The beginning and historic first meeting of the Viola d'Amore Society in Laramie, Wyoming of 1982 became the catalyst for the world of viola d'amore, opening new vistas and possibilities for those of us involved. Where as previously most of us worked pretty much on an individual basis, we could now communicate with colleagues, exchange ideas with composers and players all over the world- the Society truly helped expand the world of the d'amore.

I became a member and attended most meetings- 1982 to the present with the exception of those in 1996, 2006 and 2012, performing at most of these. The acquisition of literature, both new and old, became substantially easier to access and some contemporary composers have been important to our society in using their talents to our benefit .

I am presently Professor Emeritus of Denison University, still active in performance and involved in projects of my choice, who considers myself fortunate to have had the opportunity of meeting and getting to know fine colleagues and exceptional friends through our Society. I have high hopes of seeing our organization prosper in future years and plan to be a part of it with help from my Corsini.