Loudoun Symphony Remembers Tom Marks

In May of 2003, the Loudoun Symphony lost one of its founding members, Tom Marks. Here we remember some of the richness that Tom brought to our lives and to the symphony.

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As an amateur pianist, my wish in becoming music librarian for the Loudoun Symphony was to meet people interested in playing chamber music. I was introduced to Tom at the first rehearsal I attended, and from that night on he matched me with various students. My life has been much richer because of the opportunity to play with these musicians. A treasured highlight was playing with Tom himself. His own love of music and his gentle way of coaching were two of Tom's special characteristics, so that in spite of the huge gap in levels, he truly made me feel that we were playing together.

— Stephanie Chris, Symphony Librarian

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And did you get what

you wanted from this life even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself beloved, to feel myself

beloved on the earth.

From a poem entitled late Fragment by Raymond Carver.

— Linda Shearer, string workshop

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I got to play my flute with Tom and one or another of his sons in trios or quartets a number of times for various gigs over the years. Whether we were playing for an outdoor wedding in somebody's backyard (with raindrops falling on our heads or our music blowing in the wind) or for a fancy black-tie event, it was always wonderful to play great music with such great musicians.

I will always remember his dry sense of humor, too. One of the first gigs I did with him was for a little play that was a Civil War reenactment of an event that happened in Leesburg. Tom and (if I remember right) his son David and I were playing dance music for a fancy ball, and we were in full costume on the stage area. The actors, also of course in full costume, were dancing to our music and just having a jolly good time, when suddenly "soldiers" broke in, interrupting the dance and sort of put a damper on the festivities. The play was repeated a number of times through the day, a Saturday -- it may have been for August Court Days, so people were walking in off the street throughout the day to see it. Well, Tom was really getting into this thing. I'll never forget about the third time or so that we had performed the play for an audience. I was just playing and watching the actors but maybe getting a little bored with seeing the same thing again. The soldiers broke through the door, and Tom looks over at them with a startled look on his face and says, "Oh, my God!" I started to crack up, but of course I had to stifle it because this was a serious moment in the play. (I think I needed to pretend a coughing fit to stop laughing!) For the later performances I tried to be more of an actor rather than just an observer, which of course made it more enjoyable anyway.

 It is hard to imagine the Loudoun Symphony without Tom, but I know his influence will be felt for many years to come. We will always remember him and will always miss him.

(In April 2002, Tom, Theo, Rick Rowan, & I played for my friend's outdoor wedding at Raspberry Plain. It was a unique combination of instruments, but it worked out very well. This picture was taken while we were warming up before the ceremony.)

— Cathy Gilstrap, principal flute

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I have been a violin student of Tom Marks since the fall of 1990. The Loudoun Symphony (then known as the "Loudoun Community Orchestra") had given its first concert in March. I hadn't played violin for years, and decided I needed help! When Julien Schrenk told me Tom was "a wonderful teacher," I signed up for lessons. I was absolutely terrified of Tom because I wasn't used to playing solo in front of anyone. He didn't smile at me for the first 6 weeks (Julien said he was "shy"); but one day, he assigned me the Kreutzer etude that sounds like the Jack Benny fiddle tune. I burst out laughing and started to sing a song I'd heard years ago on one of Jack's shows: "Raise your arm a little higher" - "Gee, but I'm so very tired!" He did smile at that! A week or so later, I remarked that "you can take a lot of frustration out on a piano, but with a violin, you have to 'woo it!'" He laughed! After that, things went much better for me. I worked hard for him, and wouldn't take anything for my time with him. Tom and Lucky and the "boys" became what I regarded as my "extended family" - my sons and their families live in Richmond. I love them all!

— Olive Johnson, (Mrs.), Retired Elementary Music Teacher, Organist Emerita, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Purcellville, VA.

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I remember in practices he would always help me and even in concerts. I hope his family is doing good and I wish them the grace of God. Tom was a good man, and I will never forget him.

— Elizabeth Scalici

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I will miss him greatly. The world is a poorer place without his presence. He was a mentor to many and an inspiration to all.

— Herbert F. Schantz

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As a denizen of the back row (low brass), my contact with Tom Marks was less frequent than that of his fellow strings. My exposure to Tom came gradually through our working together on the Artistic Committee of the Orchestra and through occasional chats during receptions. I came to see Tom as an exceptional human being through the way he gently, and with relaxed humor, interacted with other orchestra members and with audition candidates. In all of this, he never wavered in his devotion to the highest musical standards. I recall his appreciation of the pita bread and hummus I frequently bring to receptions. About a year ago, he went out of his way to draw my attention to a trombone soloist who was to appear with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. That was the way I saw Tom: considerate, gentle, full of passion for life and making music, and one who made your life the richer for his being here. I'll really miss him.

— Will Fraize, principal trombone

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As you may know, Tom was the coach for our quartet. One day I was having a particularly difficult time playing the notes I saw on the music before me. I would intend one note to come out, but whatever I DIDN'T want to play is what I played. I said that I had Musical Touretts Syndrome. Tom started laughing and laughing. He asked, 'Musical Touretts is when you play rude and obnoxious notes?' His laughter will ring in my ears for the rest of my life.

— Catharine Basson, bass.

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The things that impressed me most about Tom were his amazing musical skill, his reliability, and his modesty. Plus he was a really nice guy. Every week Tom was there for rehearsals, working with the string workshop, teaching lessons, leading the string section by example. I've watched the Loudoun string section mature into a professional-caliber organization over the years, and a great deal of that credit goes to Tom.

— Mark Dalrymple, bassoon.

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If you have any memories to add to this page, please email them to info@loudounsymphony.org