Leonard Sharrow

Leonard Sharrow was born in New York City August 4, 1915, the son of Saul Sharrow, violinist with the New York Symphony and the New York Philharmonic.  Sharrow studied the violin, but by age 16, became interested in the bassoon.  At age 19, he went to Juilliard, where he graduated in 1935.  From 1935-1937, he was bassoon with the National Symphony in Washington.  In 1937, he joined the newly formed NBC Symphony and later became its Principal bassoon.  He left the NBC in 1941, drafted into the U.S. Army.  In the 1946-1947 season, Sharrow joined the Detroit Symphony.  In 1947, Sharrow was invited to return to the NBC Symphony as Principal bassoon. He stayed with the NBC Symphony until 1951, when he became Principal bassoon of the Chicago Symphony under Rafael Kubelik , remaining until the end of the 1963-1964 season.  He then became music professor at Indiana University for 13 years.  While at IU, he also spent his summers at the Aspen Music Festival.  In 1977, Sharrow then returned to the symphonic world, becoming Co-Principal bassoon of the Pittsburgh Symphony, where he stayed until 1987. Sharrow then returned to Indiana University.  In 1999, Sharrow moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to be near his son, where he died of leukemia in August 9, 2004, just before his 89th birthday.