The Strad News – Chicago Symphony Orchestra mourns long-standing violinist, Fox Fehling

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The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has announced the death of its former violinist, Fox Fehling, who died following a long illness on 7 July 2025 at the age of 76.

Fehlin was born on 23 June 1949 in Iowa City, IA. She studied violin in New York at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School, where her teachers included Dorothy DeLay, Charles Treger, Raphael Bronstein, Allen Ohmes, Shmuel Ashkenasi and Donald Weilerstein.

Fehling was the inaugural winner of the Mischa Elman Award and made a recital tour of Italy with Elman’s longtime accompanies, Joseph Seiger.

During her career, Fehling performed with the Springfield Symphony, the National Orchestra of New York, the Piedmonth Chamber Orchestra and the Florida Symphony, as well as orchestras at the Spoleto and Aspen music festivals. She played with the Grant Park Orchestra and held the role of assistant principal second violin with the Lyric Opera Orchestra. 

Fehling joined the CSO in 1979 at the invitation of Georg Solti. She was a member of the orchestra’s violin section for 43 years until she retired in 2022. In 1994, she took a year out to perform as assistant concertmaster with the Bergen Philharmonic in Norway.

Additionally, Fehling was an active chamber musician and played bluegrass and western swing with the CSO’s country-western swing band, the CSOkies.

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