The Charles Ansbacher Press Room

September 29, 2010

THEY LIKED to sit on a Sunday morning in “the Longfellow corner’’ of their Cambridge home and reflect on their lives and spiritual journeys.

“If you had to give up five years of your productive life,’’ asked Swanee Hunt of her husband Charles Ansbacher, “what would be worth that sacrifice?’’

He asked her to go first. “I think,’’ she said, “that I would give up five years if every person in the world could enjoy the presence of trees. They are so life giving. And you?’’

He pondered and said, “I would be willing if every person in Boston — especially children — could enjoy good music.’’

By the time Charles died of brain cancer recently at 66, he had come close to realizing that vision. In those last months, he cheerfully set out to ensure that his dream would come true. He had founded the Landmarks Orchestra nearly a decade earlier, and serving as its conductor, brought free classical musical to neighborhoods throughout the city.

He wanted to make the summer of 2010 not just his last but his best. It would be the season of his beloved Beethoven with a different symphony every Wednesday. Crowds of 9,000 to 10,000 came with children, picnics and blankets along the Charles River. He loved the music and the river — conducting a finale there and sailing too in his last 10 days.

Even as he traveled the world for farewell concerts — Sarajevo, Beirut, Chisinau, Hanoi — he kept his focus on his dream for Boston. He created the Free for All Concert Fund, setting a goal of $20 million — enough to provide permanent support for outdoor orchestral concerts free and friendly to families across the city. During his final weeks, Charles, Swanee and I sat together several times to ask what makes a good life — a subject that often brings peace to those who are dying. The Greeks, John Kennedy was fond of recalling, thought that happiness was best defined as “the full use of your powers along lines of excellence in a life affording scope.’’

Charles by that definition had certainly found inner bliss. Yet he also remained restless: What more can we do in Boston? What can we do about the problems of the country, so deeply troubling? He sounded as if he wanted to pick up the phone and call everyone he knew, asking them to join a crusade.

Listening, the thought occurred to me that the end will be like this for all of us. If we are blessed, we will find happiness, but inevitably, we will leave with so much to be done.

Charles thought his role was not just in the here and now; he wanted to inspire others to take up the cause after he was gone. We talked about the idea that the Harvard scholar Howard Gardner has begun to advance — that just as a corporation or a nonprofit must have a strong board of trustees, so must a society — people who voluntarily work for the larger community while also inspiring others to continue the work they leave behind.

Charles Ansbacher departed as an honored member of America’s board of trustees — an artist and citizen, a man who brought great music to his community, and now inspires others to carry on after his death. He sacrificed precious years of life but created a vision that will live on.

David Gergen is director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and a senior political analyst for CNN.

###

The Life of Charles Ansbacher

Birth

October 5, 1942 Providence, Rhode Island

Education

1957-1959 Summer Camper Greenwood Music Camp
1965 B.A., Music Brown University
1968 M.M., Orchestral Conducting University of Cincinnati
1979 D.M.A. University of Cincinnati

Public Policy

1976-1977 White House Fellow
1976-1977 Co-Chair of the Task Force on the Use of Design, Art and Architecture in Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Washington, D.C.
1979-1982 Chair of the Design and Construction Subcommittee Pikes Peak Center Colorado Springs, CO
1987 Co-Chair of the International Conference on Urban Design Colorado Springs, CO
1988-1990 Director of the New Airport Art Program Denver International Airport Denver, CO
1987-1991 Chair of the Colorado Council on the Arts and Humanities Denver, CO
1988-1991 Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee for Design of the New Denver Airport Denver International Airport Denver, CO
1991 Executive Director of the Foundation for the Denver Performing Arts Complex Denver, CO
1992-1994 President and CEO of the New World Airport Commission Denver International Airport Denver, CO

Music

1967-1970 Conductor, Middletown Symphony Orchestra ]Middletown, OH
1970-1989 Conductor and Musical Director, Colorado Springs Symphony Colorado Springs, CO
1989 Conductor Laureate, Colorado Springs Symphony Colorado Springs, CO
2006 Principal Guest Conductor, Moscow Symphony Orchestra Moscow, Russia
2009 Principal Guest Conductor, Bishkek Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
2000-2010 Founder, Conductor, and Artistic Director Boston Landmarks Orchestra Boston, MA
2010 Conductor Laureate, Boston Landmarks Orchestra Boston, MA

Arts Leadership

1979-1981 President Conductor’s Guild Richmond, VA
1979-1981 Board Member American Symphony Orchestra League
1986 President Conductor’s Guild Richmond, VA
1986-1988 Music Panels National Endowment for the Arts
c.1988-1990 Education and Music Festival Panels National Endowment for the Arts
1988-1991 Board Member Denver Center for the Performing Arts
1987-1999 Board Member Partners for Livable Places
1998-1999 Visiting Scholar Harvard University Department of Music Cambridge, MA
2001-2006 Board of Directors, Boston Cantata Singers
2002-2006 Board of Directors, Boston Children’s Chorus

1999-2010 Treasurer (2005-2010) and Board Member First Night Boston

Other Leadership

1987-present Treasurer and Board Member Hunt Alternatives Fund
2006-2008 Chair of the Board International Institute of Boston
2008-2010 Board Member, Global Post

Recent Awards

2009 Luminary Award Recipient, Mayor E. Denise Simmons, City of Cambridge
2009 Certificate of Appreciation, U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon
2009 Proclamation and Dedication at Fresh Pond and Vassal Lane, Mayor E. Denise Simmons: City of Cambridge

2010 Green Beacon Award for Environmental Leadership, Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters

2010 Honorary Plaque, Governor Deval Patrick
2010 Maestro Charles Ansbacher Award, Boston Arts Academy
2010 Justin Mee Liff Spirit Award, Emerald Necklace Conservancy
2010 “Charles Ansbacher Day” in the State of Colorado, Governor Bill Ritter, Mayor John W. Hickenlooper
2010 Honree at 30th Anniversary Celebration Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association
2010 Celebration Honoree, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, First Night Boston
2010 Honorary Plaque, Sarajevo National Theater, Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra
2010 Honoree, U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, Moldova
2010 Medallion of Recognition, Harvard University School of Continuing Education