William Coyle “Bill” Wharton Jr., a nationally renowned cellist who shared his love of music with thousands of students, died Friday, June 28, 2024, at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, two weeks after his 86th birthday.
Bill died surrounded by his family with classical music filling his room.
A faculty member at the University of Idaho from 1975 until his retirement in 2009, Bill was a mainstay of regional orchestras and traveled to Boise to maintain a teaching studio before and during retirement.
Bill was born June 14, 1938, in New Orleans, the oldest son of William C. Wharton Sr. and Eleonora L. Waldmann Wharton.
Bill’s first instrument was the piano, followed by clarinet, organ and in high school, the cello. Bill received a scholarship to Tulane University in New Orleans, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He worked as a biochemist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
While pursuing a master’s degree in science at Louisiana State University, he won a scholarship from the New Orleans local of the American Federation of Musicians to the Congress of Strings camp. Bill won the principal cello seat in this orchestra, studying with conductors and string players from major U.S. orchestras. That experience and the inspiration of his cello teacher, Gordon Epperson, convinced Bill to switch his major from science to cello performance.
He received a Bachelor of Music from the Ohio State University in 1962, a Master of Music from the University of Oklahoma in 1965, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Arizona in 1970. While studying in Arizona, he met his future wife, Linda Harmelink, in their cello professor’s studio. They were married Dec. 27, 1969, in Massillon, Ohio.
From 1962 to 1968, Bill served in the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Polk, La.
Bill served as principal cello in symphonies in Fort Wayne, Ind.; Youngstown, Ohio; Tucson, Ariz.; Sun Valley, Idaho, and Spokane. He was also principal cellist of the Peter Britt Musical Festival in Jacksonville, Ore., and assistant principal of the Oklahoma City Symphony.
Throughout his long career, Bill performed solo recitals and concertos, as well as in ensembles. As his attention turned to teaching, he primarily taught cello and bass, as well as piano, organ, music theory and history. He taught at the University of Oklahoma, Eastern Washington State College, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Youngstown State University, Ohio.
At the UI, Bill created and managed the Raphael Druian and Syringa chamber music workshops, and he directed the String Festival for two decades. He also formed the Cello-Bass Choir and managed the UI’s Kennard Artists, a faculty ensemble. He also organized the Sunday afternoon classical concerts for Rendezvous in the Park.
Bill brought classical music to students of all ages around Idaho. He established an in-person teaching studio in the Boise area, teaching online during the pandemic. He was the cello coordinator for the Idaho Suzuki Institute. He also was a faculty member for Tucson’s Chamber Music in the Mountains festival.
Bill was recognized for excellence in teaching with the Boise Rotary Club’s Century Scholar Award. He also received a Moscow Mayor’s Arts Award in 2007 for outstanding achievement in arts education.
Bill and his wife of 55 years, Linda, a cellist and pianist, performed regularly as the Wharton Duo. The duo received Central Washington University’s award for outstanding contributions to cello teaching and performance in the Northwest.
Bill valued his family above all, loving his wife, Linda, and children fiercely and unconditionally. He is survived by Linda, of Moscow; children William III “Bill” and his partner, Denise James, of Moscow; Brian (Melinda) of Auburn, Wash.; Ann of Portland, and Ed (Whitney Krey) of Emeryville, Calif. He is also survived by five grandchildren and two great-granddaughters. His parents, a brother, John, and his first wife, Barbara, died previously.
Bill was a longtime member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Moscow, where he sang in the choir, accompanied musicians on piano and organ, and until a few weeks before his death, played his beloved cello during worship services.
The family suggests memorials to the Lionel Hampton School of Music, the Auditorium Chamber Music Series or the UI Arboretum, the Washington Idaho Symphony, and the Idaho Suzuki Institute, 16159 S. 10th Ave., Caldwell, ID 83607.
Bill will be remembered at a service of Holy Communion at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 27, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 111 S. Jefferson, in Moscow. A Zoom link will be available. A community celebration of life, including musical tributes, will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, in Haddock Hall of the UI music building.
