By Alissa Dos SantosThe Daily Northwestern
Vincent Cichowicz, a Northwestern professor emeritus and member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s trumpet section, died Dec. 11 in his home in Fontana, Wis., from colon cancer. He was 79.
Cichowicz served on the NU faculty from 1959 until his retirement in 1998. Born in Chicago, he began his music career at 17 in the Houston Symphony Orchestra. He later returned to Chicago to attend Roosevelt University after military service in the Fifth Army Band.
In 1942, Cichowicz joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he played for 23 years. He also was a member of the renowned Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet.
“It was considered the best orchestral trumpet section in the world during the time,” said his friend Charlie Geyer, a professor of trumpet. Geyer and his wife, trumpet Prof. Barbara Butler, are co-chairs of the Department of Music Performance.
Geyer was Cichowicz’s student at NU and later performed with him for eight years with the CSO.
Widely regarded as an expert in his field, Cichowicz was called upon to conduct numerous workshops and clinics throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan.
“It’s a small business, but classical trumpet players tend to have connections. He was a kind of mentor and visionary that attracted people from far away,” Butler said.
Geyer and Butler continued to invite Cichowicz back to NU for master classes after his retirement in 1998.
“We were hoping he could touch as many generations as possible,” Butler said. “He had a complete confidence in his knowledge and everyone trusted him, so he helped everyone he touched.”
Cichowicz had as many as 32 students at times, and most of them thought of him as another parent, Geyer said.
“Everyone that studied with him felt like they could do it,” Butler said. “He instilled confidence in every student, and they left feeling like they were on top of the world.”
Michael Cichowicz, his eldest son, started playing the trumpet when he was 5 years old and spent his first 15 years as his father’s student.
“Every time I would practice, he would come down and interject and tell me all the things I was doing wrong,” he said. “He was always there to direct me, and it made a big difference in my playing.”
Michael Martin, a Music senior, played for Cichowicz in a master class as a freshman.
“He had a very old-school style of playing. It’s just different than nowadays,” Martin said. “It was cool to actually hear it coming from the horse’s mouth. You could say the name Cichowicz and people would start playing his exercises.”
Cichowicz received many honors, including a special achievement award from the European Chapter of the International Trumpet Guild in 1997, a Legends in Teaching Award from NU and the International Trumpet Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
He is survived by wife Genriq E. Murphy; sons Michael, Rob and Steve; three grandchildren; and sisters Ange Duda and Ann Carney.
His family is deciding on a possible scholarship fund in Cichowicz’s name, Michael Cichowicz said.
Reach Alissa Dos Santos at [email protected].
