William I. Bernell, artistic guide for Boston Symphony Orchestra
As someone who worked behind the scenes at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, William I. Bernell was not a widely known public figure. But his activities - from planning programs to selecting soloists to guiding the commissioning of new works - facilitated the operation of the orchestra’s concert season.
Mr. Bernell, the former artistic administrator of the BSO and the San Francisco Symphony, died Monday in his home in San Francisco. The cause was cancer, according to Stephen Judson, a close friend and associate. He was 82.
Mr. Bernell began working closely with conductor Seiji Ozawa in San Francisco in the early 1970s, and was later recruited by Ozawa for the job of artistic administrator at the BSO, a position he held from 1979 to 1985. At that point he returned to his native California but continued to work closely with Ozawa until the end of his life.
“Bill Bernell has been incredibly important to me in my work in music, from my years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra to my work in Europe and Japan,’’ Ozawa said yesterday. “Bill’s insights on programming and his ability to find the perfect soloist for the repertoire at hand made him an invaluable colleague, and as we worked closely together for many years, he became one of my most trusted friends. . . . We will all miss him greatly.’’
Mr. Bernell’s position afforded him close contact with the major soloists and, in one case, thrust him into the public spotlight.
That occasion was the famous 1982 controversy involving the actress Vanessa Redgrave, whose support of the Palestine Liberation Organization drew threats and protests when Redgrave was engaged as narrator for the BSO’s performances of Stravinsky’s “Oedipus Rex.’’ The BSO chose to cancel the performances, and Redgrave later sued the orchestra but lost the case.
Testifying in US District Court more than two years after the controversial cancellation, Mr. Bernell was unwavering: “From that day to this, I stand by our decision,’’ he said.
Mr. Bernell was born in San Francisco into a musical family. His father had played in John Philip Sousa’s marching band.
After serving in the US Army, Mr. Bernell obtained an entry-level job at the San Francisco Symphony and worked his way up from the inside.
He leaves six great-nieces and one great-nephew. A funeral was scheduled to take place this morning in San Francisco.
“He was a presence and a force,’’ recalled Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, who worked closely with Mr. Bernell at the BSO. “He was one of the most imaginative concert programmers. He also had a somewhat bemused and cynical point of view about the world of artists, a healthy perspective on how to take with a grain of salt some of their more extravagant demands. And he was beloved by the artistic community.’’