Steven D. Bodner, 35
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - Steven Dennis Bodner, 35, of West Main Street died Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011, in Albany, N.Y., from complications from pneumonia.
Born on June 14, 1975, in Parma Heights, Ohio, son of Regina Bodner of Loveland, Ohio, and the late Dennis Bodner, he gradated from Valley Forge High School and earned degrees in philosophy and saxophone performance from Miami (Ohio) University, in conducting from New England Conservatory (with academic honors and distinction in performance), and he was a candidate for his doctorate in music education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Mr. Bodner was artist-in-residence at Williams College, where he directed the Symphonic Winds and Opus Zero Band, co-directed the I/O New Music Festival, and taught saxophone, music fundamentals and music theory. He was a founding board member of Roomful of Teeth and regularly conducted productions of The New Opera in Williamstown.
He also taught at Hartwick College and South Shore Conservatory Summer Music Festivals and at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. He was in demand as a guest conductor and clinician. As a saxophonist, he performed with the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, Williams Chamber Players, the Manchester (Vt.) Music Festival, and the microtonal ensemble NotaRiotous.
Friends described him as a fierce and tireless advocate for new music. He commissioned and premiered numerous works for wind ensemble and saxophone and created a thriving culture of contemporary music performance at Williams that enriched students and community members alike.
In a letter to the college community, Williams President Adam Falk said, "his imaginative ensemble direction enriched our cultural life. At the same time he was a respected and beloved colleague and a lively member of our community."
Mr. Bodner will be remembered by his family, students, and friends as a caring, devoted, talented and dedicated man. His love for music and the people in his life was unmatched.
Besides his mother, he leaves his sister, Lisa Schmidt and her husband, Neil, and his nephew, Gabe Schmidt, all of Loveland.
FUNERAL NOTICE - A visitation for Mr. Bodner will take place Sunday, Jan. 16, between 4 and 8 p.m. at Tomon Funeral Home in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The funeral will be held at Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church in Parma, Ohio, at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 17.
A memorial service will be held in Thompson Memorial Chapel at Williams College on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 3 p.m. Later that day, in Chapin Hall, the Williams music department will present "Puente Sonoro: A Festival of Latin American Musics," an event that Mr. Bodner was involved in planning and preparing when he died; music students and faculty will offer this as a musical celebration in memory of this remarkable musician, teacher and colleague.