Douglass A. Davidson

Douglass Davidson, a professional musician and music copyist, died Wednesday at Englewood Hospital. He was 88 years old. He has been a resident of Bergenfield, New Jersey since 1972. Douglass was a World War II veteran and was awarded a Purple Heart for a wound received during his service in Germany. He also served in the Air Force after the war. He was a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BM, 1949; MM 1955). He studied conduction with Karl Van Hoesen, Herman Genhart, and Fredrick Fennell. After graduation, he studied with Philip Farkas (horn) and Arnold Jacobs (tuba). His early professional experience included playing horn with the Houston Symphony (1944), the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division Band in Germany (1944-1946), and the U.S. Strategic Air Command Band in Omaha, Nebraska (1949-1952), which he also conducted during his time in the Air Force. He played tuba with the Indianapolis Symphony (1955-1959) and the Denver Symphony (1959-1961). Free-lance work in the New York area included performances with the Symphony of the Air, the Metropolitan Opera, Radio City Music Hall, and the Westchester and Hartford Symphonies. He also performed with a German band at the 1964-1965 World's Fair. From 1966-1970, Douglass was Assistant Professor of Brass at Troy State University in Troy, Alabama; and from 1970-1972, was a Teaching Fellow at the University of Michigan School of Music in Ann Arbor, where he continued his graduate studies. He was also Principal Tuba with the Detroit Concert Band. In 1970, he resumed free-lancing in New York, also working as a music copyist and editor until 1991. Until health problems made it impossible, he was active in community musical groups in New Jersey – including the Bergen Philharmonics and the North Jersey Symphony (Performer: 1992-1996; Associate Conductor: 2000-present). From 1996-1999 he was Founder/Conductor of the Hawthorne Symphony. His musical composition include: Sonatina (piano), Scaramouche (brass quintet), Fantasy on a Theme of Scarlatti (solo tuba and band) and Prelude (organ). Douglass is survived by his wife, Marilyn (nee Copeland), two daughters, Jennifer Juntwait and Diana Valencia and four grandchildren: Christopher Juntwait, Peter Davidson, Sergio Valencia, Jr., and Stephanie Valencia. Visiting at Riewerts Memorial Home, 187 So. Washington Ave., Bergenfield on Monday 2-4 and 7-9 PM. Funeral service at the funeral home on Monday at 8 PM. All will meet at the funeral home Tuesday at 11 AM for the interment George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus.

Funeral Home: Riewerts Memorial Home 187 So. Washington Ave. Bergenfield, NJ US 07621

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Previous Events

visitation
Monday, July 14, 2014
service
Monday, July 14, 2014
cemetery
Tuesday, July 15, 2014