The Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra has lost an integral member of its ensemble after a car accident Tuesday morning. The orchestra’s keyboardist, Carolyn Bridger, died while visiting Michigan earlier this week.
Over the past three and a half decades, Bridger has made a major impact in the Tallahassee classical music scene. Former executive director of the Tallahassee Symphony Lois Griffin says Bridger’s personal touch was a big reason.
“Her students referred to her as ‘Mom’. I know that she had such close personal relationships with many of them. She felt like she was mother and grandmother to so many people.
Bridger began teaching music at Florida State University in 1976, and she was a founding member of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. Bridger and her late husband, Waldie Anderson, also helped start Tallahassee’s Artist Series – an annual selection of concerts aimed at bringing classical music to the community.
This story features Carolyn Bridger performing in 2001 with clarinetist Deborah Bish at a benefit for WFSU partner station WFSQ.
