"The death of William Criss is an irreplaceable loss. Those of us whose lives he touched know him to be a gentle man, a fine musician, an accomplished oboist and a great teacher. We, his contemporaries, fondly remember his performances. They encompassed activities in symphonies, operas, ballets, recording orchestras and chamber music. He was an outstanding product of the Curtis Institute of Music and its famous oboe teacher, Marcel Tabuteau. However, Bill was not an imitator and he developed his own unique style. Subtle phrasing, refinement, lack of mannerisms or flamboyance separated William Criss from the many unsuccessful imitators of his teacher. He gave life to the imaginations of composers and he met the demands of the great conductors of this century.
The beauty of his playing is a vivid memory to those of us who were fortunate enough to hear it. These memories will live as long as we do, and he has left a legacy to his pupils that will continue for generations to come. Through his teaching, William Criss has sown the seeds of his immortality. " (Norman Herzberg, bassoonist)
Born in 1921, Mr. Criss attended public school in Philadelphia. At the age of 20, he received a scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music and studied under Marcel Tabuteau, acknowledged as the world's finest oboist. After serving for four years in the Army Air Force, Mr. Criss joined the Baltimore Symphony as first oboist in 1946. For the following two years, he also taught oboe at the Peabody Conservatory. 1948 brought a move to New York City where he recorded for Victor Records, Columbia Records and performed as first oboist with the Staff Orchestra for the Mutual Network Station WOR as well as for the Ballet Theater, Ballet Russe, and the Robert Shaw Chorale. The next year, Mr. Criss became the first oboist with the Metropolitan Opera Company where he performed under Fritz Reiner, Bruno Walter, George Szell, Eric Leinsdorf, Karl Boehm, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Pierre Monteux, Leopold Stokowski, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Leonard Bernstein. During his ten years with the Metropolitan Opera, he was engaged on several occasions to play first oboe with the New York Philharmonic, the N.B.C. Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Several summers were spent performing with the weekly Bell Telephone Radio Hour. By 1959, Mr. Criss had moved to Los Angeles and began free lance work at Paramount Pictures, M.G.M., Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers, and Columbia Pictures. He soon joined the faculty of U.S.C. as Lecturer in Oboe, and taught at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. He continued these duties and became increasingly active in all musical media including motion pictures, television, recordings, commercials, concerts, ballet and opera until 1984. His former students are presently first oboists in major orchestras throughout the United States, Mexico and Hawaii.
"In every musician's professional life, if he is lucky, there may be one colleague whose conception of the music he plays and whose realization of that conception speaks in the most intimate and personal way to one's deepest musical sensibilities. It warms the heart and touches the soul. For me that colleague was Bill Criss.
In the years that we played together, certainly in the commercial field but most notably in the ballets and operas at the Music Center and Shrine Auditorium, his artistry was a joy to hear and an inspiration, a standard by which to measure one's own achievement. One such performance took place when we played the Royal Ballet at the Shrine. A ballet was set to Debussy's orchestration of Erik Satie's Gymnopedies. Bill's performance was to me the most extraordinary oboe playing that I have ever heard or will ever hope to hear, the ultimate expression of Satie's music.
Bill, wherever you are, know that the beautiful sounds you made and phrases you turned will always be sounding inside the head of this colleague. I'll miss you." (Fowler Friedlander, bassoonist)
"The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Bill was his devotion to his wife, to his sons, to his family and friends. In this regard, no one has surpassed him and few have matched him.
When I think of ethics, integrity, dignity, gentlemanliness, sophistication, style; in short, when I think of class, I think of Bill. As I saw him, he was class personified.
When I think of talented young people seeking guidance, I think of Bill's long and distinguished history of providing it. From the students he taught at USC and from those he taught privately, he developed many outstanding oboists who perform in orchestras here and abroad.
In general, his teaching was an extension of the woodwind tradition initiated by the great French masters. In particular, his teaching reflected and expanded the tradition established by his teacher, the late, renowned Marcel Tabuteau. I believe that Bill's influence on oboe playing equals, if it does not exceed, the influence exerted by Marcel Tabuteau.
When I think of artistry in performance, I think of Bill. The essence of his art was a warm, passionate, singing musicality that reached out and touched the heart.
So was I touched when he performed, whether it was in a Puccini opera at the Met, or in a Bach aria with Eileen Farrell or a Brahms' Serenade with the L.A. Chamber Orchestra.
He touched me with his playing in movies like The Godfather, On Golden Pond, and Sophie's Choice, and in television shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Star Trek, and Mission Impossible, to name just a few.
When I think of courage, I think of the battle he waged against cancer. He fought with gutsy determination, all the while maintaining a wry sense of humor that helped sustain him and his family.
His artistry, preserved on records, tape and film, will live on. In a very special way, it will live in the performances of his students and in the hearts of all who loved and admired him." (Dominic Fera, clarinetist)