Charlotte Symphony Orchestra horn player Bob Rydel remembered for devotion to music
It’s often said that music brings people together, and that certainly rings true for Bob and Chris Rydel, and the life they forged together in Charlotte.
The couple met while studying at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, one of the most prestigious conservatories in the world.
Rydel would later become a fixture in the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as a third horn player and longtime member of its board of directors.
“Everything he did was for the symphony,” Chris Rydel said. “He was always thinking about how to make it better.”
Known by many for his fiery personality and exemplary work ethic, Rydel often used his “amazing knack” for problem solving during his tenure with the Charlotte Symphony, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris said.
“He was fiercely committed and so diligent,” she said. “He had a fire about him, for sure. And I think that’s part of the love we have for him.”
Bob Rydel died unexpectedly on June 24 from a brain injury that stemmed from a heart attack five days earlier. He was 54 years old. He is survived by his wife, Chris; daughter, Lauren; and son, Sean.
‘An absolute labor of love’
When the pandemic led to the cancellation of many live events, Rydel immediately began brainstorming ways to keep the symphony relevant, Chris Rydel said.
Rydel was an experienced audio engineer who ran radio broadcasts of the symphony for WDAV, Charlotte’s classical music public radio station, and he bought equipment to shoot backyard and balcony concerts that were livestreamed on social media.
“Nobody knew what to do, but music is always the way to heal,” Chris Rydel said. “For Bob, I think it was healing for him to be able to dive in. It was an absolute labor of love.”
Derek Raghavan, who chaired the symphony’s board of directors from 2018-2020, said he and Rydel grew closer during the pandemic while they worked to come up with ideas to keep the organization afloat.
When the symphony furloughed musicians during the pandemic, the board applied for grants to keep them on staff while traditional live performances were put on pause, Raghavan said. That was when Rydel stepped in to boost morale among the people he worked closely with for years.
“Bob was supportive in keeping everybody calm,” Raghavan said. “We kept the musicians on payroll through the whole period when we weren’t performing. An awful lot of other orchestras didn’t do that.
“He was a talented, creative, technically outstanding, wise, thoughtful musician, and a Renaissance man of high integrity,” he added. “He was larger than life in my opinion.”
Going above and beyond
Rydel was prominent in Charlotte’s music sector, but he also made plenty of time to spend with family and friends outside of the concert hall.
Amy Whitehead, a second flutist at the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and close friend of the Rydels, recalled potlucks and holiday gatherings with the family where Rydel would make his “signature drinks.”
“He would have squeezed oranges, simple syrup, or mixed all kinds of things together and put them in a cooler for everyone at the party,” Whitehead said. “If it was Thanksgiving or Christmas, he and Chris would always bring the most delicious food which they would have spent who knows how much time preparing.”
Rydel always made stuffing for Whitehead and her husband, who are vegetarians, she said, along with an assortment of pies to celebrate any occasion.
“He never did anything halfway,” Whitehead said. “He always went above and beyond to make sure everything was special.”
Though he died at a young age, Whitehead said Rydel’s legacy — one of commitment, loyalty, perseverance and compassion — will live on in the Charlotte Symphony.
“He made such a difference in the lives of every person who met him, and in the lives of people who will never get to meet him,” Whitehead said. “All of the future musicians who never got to him, their working lives will have been made better because of the work that Bob Rydel did.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 10:59 AM.
