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Carlton Woods
CARLTON R. WOODS
Cedar Rapids
Carlton Richard Woods, 75, an orchestral conductor and music educator, died at his home in Westlake, Ohio, on Feb. 21, 2017. The cause of death was congestive heart failure.
Woods was born in Illinois and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; attended Heidelberg University (Tiffin, Ohio) and Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.) and earned his D.M.A. from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Woods was chair of the music department at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., where he founded the Allegheny Summer Music Festival. He was director of orchestral activities at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, as well as conductor and artistic director of the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra; director of orchestral activities at Central Michigan University, and the Midland (Mich.) Symphony Orchestra artistic director.
Woods was a guest conductor with orchestras throughout the United States, as well as in Poland, Russia, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Canada and Bolivia. Woods also worked with renowned soloists, including Itzhak Perlman, Edgar Meyer, Sarah Chang, John O'Conor, Mark O'Connor, Ani Kavafian, Anne Akiko Meyers, Sharon Isbin, Dave Brubeck, James McCracken and Eugenia Zuckerman, and the Juilliard String Quartet.
Woods retired to Westlake, Ohio, in 2007 so he could attend performances of the Cleveland Orchestra. Woods was an aficionado of fine Scotch whiskies, India Pale Ales and Ohio City pasta tossed with his homemade basil pesto. Frustrated by golf in retirement, Woods "unretired" and founded Cleveland's BlueWater Chamber Orchestra in 2010 with a group of professional Cleveland-area musicians.
Woods is survived by his wife, Ladonna. Children are Blair Woods (spouse Monique Watts), Brent Woods (spouse Stephanie Britt), Brooke Woods, Robin House (spouse Keith) and Heidi Bellemente (spouse Mike). Woods has six grandchildren, Cassidy, Maggie, Vaughn, Steele, Sofia and Abby May.
It is with gratitude to Dr. Cory Fisher, Dr. Miriam Jacob, Shawn Merhaut and Tracey Matejka that Carlton has donated his body to the Cleveland Clinic Body Donation Program for the advancement of medical science.
Services will be Sunday, March 5, at 2 p.m. at Avon Lake United Church of Christ, Avon Lake, Ohio. A reception will follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, c/o Cleveland Federation of Musicians Local 4, 3631 Perkins Ave., Suite 4C N., Cleveland, OH 44114.
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