Richard Gladwell, host of WXXI’s With Heart and Voice, died October 15, after battling brain cancer. Since 1989 his weekly program of choral and organ music was heard Sunday mornings on Classical 91.5/90.3, and on more than 100 radio stations across the country. Gladwell amassed a collection of about 8,500 choral and organ recordings from around the world, which he shared with his With Heart and Voice listeners every week. His collection spanned the full range of Western religious music, from the Gothic period through the 20th century.
A special tribute to Richard Gladwell was co-hosted by Jeanne Fisher and Peter DuBois. The program included portions of interviews that Gladwell recorded over the years, and featured some of his favorite music. Selections included Parry’s I Was Glad, “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place” from the Brahms Requiem, “Steal Away” as sung by Jesse Norman, John Rutter’s Requiem, and hymns by Stanford and Vaughan Williams. The With Heart and Voice Tribute to Richard Gladwell can be heard on the Web at <A HREF="http://www.wxxi.org/listen">www.wxxi.org/listen</A>.
On March 29, 2009, Gladwell received the Benemerenti Medal, one of the Vatican’s highest honors to the laity. Rochester Bishop Matthew Clark presented the medal before more than 700 guests at a special concert in Gladwell’s honor at Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Richard Gladwell was born and educated in London, England. At age six, he auditioned and was accepted as a chorister in an East London church. He was firmly entrenched in the choral tradition of the Anglican Church and its repertory. Gladwell later received his musical education through the extramural program of Birmingham University in conjunction with the British Broadcasting Council. He came to the United States in 1955 and worked in management positions for both Xerox and Kodak. As a collector of recordings, he was interested in radio and was given a part-time job as an announcer for a Rochester classical music station.
Paul Manz died October 28 in St. Paul, Minnesota. See the “In Memoriam” article by Scott M. Hyslop on pages 38–39 of this issue.
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