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James Ceasar trained hundreds to play violin

BY ANNIE CALOVICH

The Wichita Eagle

James Ceasar, a violinist who shared his passion for classical music with Wichitans for almost four decades, has died at age 92.

Mr. Ceasar was concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony and a music professor at Wichita State University from 1949 to 1985, training hundreds of violinists for symphonies all over the country.

He died Sunday.

His long tenure in both the symphony and the university put him in the unusual position of training most of the violinists who would be his colleagues in the Wichita Symphony.

"We have people in the orchestra who have been in longer, but not in an important leadership position" than Mr. Ceasar, said Mitch Berman, the orchestra's executive director.

"Since his retirement we've had probably seven or eight concertmasters. Because it's a top position, people move on. Jim's commitment and dedication here were pretty significant."

While the public saw Mr. Ceasar as the musician who would come out before a symphony performance to take a bow and get the musicians tuned up, he considered teaching his more important job. It is estimated that he taught 500 violinists in 36 years at WSU.

Mr. Ceasar was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and grew up in Cleveland. He began studying violin at age 7, and, after a stint in the Army, toured with a dance band made up of members of the Glenn Miller Orchestra and led by Tex Beneke. He earned a master's degree in music education from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and played with the Cleveland Symphony before coming to Wichita.

Nancy Luttrell, a violinist with the Wichita Symphony for 40 years, moved to Wichita in 1965 to be a student of Mr. Ceasar's in WSU's music program.

"All his students just revered him as a player, as a teacher, as a colleague, as a friend," Luttrell said. "He was the ultimate."

Mr. Ceasar was known for his professional and encouraging manner and high standards.

"He was a good family man, and his passion was golf," said his son William of Wichita.

Mr. Ceasar also played violin and taught summers at the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina for 26 years.

Jay Decker, longtime associate conductor of the Wichita Symphony, loved Mr. Ceasar's personality.

"He was very outgoing and was easy to talk to," Decker said.

"He loved his family, he loved teaching, he loved performing, he loved the symphony, and he loved the university. And he was loyal to the very end."

Mr. Ceasar's wife, Thelma, died last August. In addition to his son William he is survived by another son, James Jr. of Norway, and a daughter, Karen Hogan of New York.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Country Acres Baptist Church. Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements.

Reach Annie Calovich at 316-268-6596 or acalovich@wichitaeagle.com.