Every year, we remember some of the writers, actors, musicians, filmmakers and performers who died over the past year, and whose lifetime of creative work helped shape our world. Here are just a few of them. (You can find a tribute to many more musicians here.)
Seiji Ozawa, classical conductor for the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Born in China to Japanese parents, Ozawa shook up the classical music establishment when he was appointed to lead a top American orchestra in 1973. Young, hip and unorthodox, he represented a radical departure from an artistic tradition that rarely placed men of color (or any women) on prestigious podiums. He was a protege of Leonard Bernstein, with whom he shared an adventurousness and dynamism that captivated fans beyond the world of classical music. Ozawa also championed cross-cultural exchange; notably, he brought the BSO to China in 1979. Read Andrea Shea and Tom Huizenga’s remembrance.
Maggie Smith, formidable dame of theater, film and television
You might know her as the tart-tongued Dowager Countess on Downton Abbey or as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies, but Maggie Smith’s illustrious stage career began decades earlier, as a teenage star of Shakespeare at the Oxford Playhouse in England. Her work on screen included indelible performances in such films as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Room With A View and Gosford Park. Read Bob Mondello’s remembrance.
Judith Jamison, arts visionary who defined Black modern dance
Jamison’s celebrated collaboration with Alvin Ailey began in the 1960s as a star member of his troupe. Her lithe elegance transfixed audiences; her interpretation of his piece “Cry” made Jamison an immediate modern dance icon when it premiered in 1971. Eventually, Jamison moved into a different kind of role, as artistic director of the company, which she led for more than two decades. Read Andrew Limbong’s remembrance.
Read more about those we lost in 2024 here.
Copyright 2024 NPR.
