Brooklyn-born Burt Fisch was a child prodigy with the viola who collaborated with everyone from Duke Ellington to John Cage during his amazing musical career. An excerpt from his obituary in the North County Times of California:

“Burt Fisch died on Sunday, February 13, 2011. He was able to celebrate his 90th birthday on February 8 with family and friends. Burt was a professional viola musician since the age of six. At 11, he entered the Juilliard School of Music, where he received his degree in 1940. After a brief stint in the Minneapolis Symphony, he was drafted into the Army in 1942 and was a member of the Army Band where he played piano, tuba, trumpet, and bugle, and conducted the dance band. After the war, he won a coveted spot in the CBS Orchestra in New York, and performed countless times on radio, television, and film. He played with practically every major pop and jazz musician of the time, including Paul Anka, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Lena Horne, Burl Ives, Johnny Mathis, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra. Another notable gig was with John Cage in 1958. Even more significant was Burt’s role in the history of one of the great works in the viola repertoire: Bla Brtok’s Viola Concerto. When the Hungarian composer Bartk died in 1945, one of his unfinished compositions was a substantial concerto for viola. Burt was chosen to perform and record the work, which was the first recording of the music. Today, Brtok’s Viola Concerto is universally considered one of the greatest compositions for the instrument. In 1968, Burt moved to Fallbrook, California, and managed an avocado grove. He also formed chamber groups with other retired musicians, attended summer festivals and workshops, and performed extensively throughout Southern California. He was a founding member of the Striano Piano Quartet and arranged all of the music they played. He was also a musician for the San Luis Rey Chorale. He was known for his humor, charm, wit, intelligence, generous nature, and organizational skills.”