Charles Wadsworth, a classical pianist and music promoter from Newnan, Georgia, died on May 29, 2025. He studied at Georgia. Hugh Hodgson, whose name is on the University of Georgia music school, started teaching him piano at twelve after seeing his aptitude. Beginning Spoleto’s Festival dei Due Mondi Midday Concerts in 1960, Wadsworth gained global recognition. I managed the chamber music series of Spoleto Festival USA from its founding to 2009.
Charles Wadsworth Obituary : His Biography and Legal Legacy
Lincoln Center president William Schuman invited Wadsworth to start the Chamber Music Society in 1969. The first Alice Tully Hall concerts included Wadsworth. He invited Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, and Samuel Barber to write new orchestral pieces after twenty seasons as artistic director. He included young performers Kathleen Battle, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Goode, Peter Serkin, Pinchas Zukerman, and Jessye Norman.
Wadsworth staged a 1996 Summer Olympics performance with Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell, and Frederica von Stade.
With Susan Wadsworth, who created Young Concert Artists, he has a daughter. He also has a son and a daughter from his prior marriage.
Charles Wadsworth White House performances
John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan welcomed Wadsworth to perform at the White House.
Impressions: The Italian and French governments awarded Wadsworth the Cavaliere Ufficiale and Chevalier ranks in the Orders of Merit and Arts and Letters, respectively. The Handel Medallion was given for his cultural contributions to New York City. reference needed
Newnan, Georgia’s Art Deco municipal auditorium is now Charles Wadsworth Auditorium. He has performed there annually since 1990.
West Georgia University created the Charles Wadsworth Music Scholarship in his honor. It was created in 1990 by concerned Newnan, Georgia residents.
Honoring Charles Wadsworth
In moments like these, we feel the loss deeply. Charles Wadsworth had a profound impact on many lives.
You are welcome to comment below if you have any memories or ideas to share. Let’s come together to remember and celebrate his life.
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