Pacific Symphony has lost two of its brightest lights: tubist Jim Self and ardent supporter Ted Smith.
According to Pacific Symphony President and CEO John Forsyte, longtime principal tubist and composer Jim Self has died.
“Jim’s artistry and big heart defined Pacific Symphony for close to four decades,” said Forsyte. “From his seat in the brass section, he gave the orchestra its foundation, always with humor, warmth, and quiet pride in the musical home we built together.”
Jim was one of the most admired, versatile, and sought-after musicians in the world, both on and off the concert stage, said Forsyte. “In addition to his work with Pacific Symphony and the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, he performed on over 1,500 film scores, including ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (he was the sound of the mothership), ‘Jurassic Park,’ and ‘Star Wars.’
Self was also a prolific composer and recording artist, a dedicated teacher at USC’s Thornton School of Music, and a generous philanthropist who funded scholarships for young musicians across the country.
“Personally, Jim was very kind to me,” noted Forsyte. “He always updated me on his artistic journeys, autographed his CDs with lovely sentiments, and shared his enthusiasm for the orchestral repertoire with insights I won’t soon forget.”
Forsyte said that Self’s legacy will live on in the generations of students he mentored, the countless colleagues he inspired, and the music he gave to the world.
“We will miss his musicianship, his laughter, and his deep and abiding love for our Symphony family,” said Forsyte. “I extend deepest condolences to his wife, Jamie, and all of Jim’s loved ones.”
Another of the Pacific Symphony family has also died: Ted Smith of Newport Beach, who along with his wife Janice was a major supporter of Pacific Symphony.
“Just last June, Ted and Janice underwrote Pacific Symphony’s final classical series performance of the Verdi Requiem under the baton of Carl,” noted Forsyte.
According to Forsyte, Ted was a brilliant CEO, engineer, and Founder of FileNet, an Orange County homegrown company he sold to IBM.
But, said Forsyte, “he never really retired, serving later as CEO of the Mind Research Institute, where he was the champion and financial backer for Gordon Shaw’s revolutionary research on the connections between music and math. The platform Shaw developed, with the catchy and charismatic penguin GiGi urging kids through math problems, is how thousands of kids across the country learned math. My own daughters were GiGi students in elementary school and both are now successful math students.”
Forsyte said that “Ted was far more than a champion and a passionate supporter of Pacific Symphony. He was a confidant, an innovator who always had faith that new horizons could be reached, and a mentor who was happy to share his thoughts over many lunches. He reminded me it was not enough to have a good team but to have a great team, built on trust, respect, and shared values. And as he so often did, with characteristic quiet wisdom, he would add “seek out alliances and always look for win-wins.”
Ted was married to Janice, a champion in her own right, and who has kept the Symphony close to her heart for many years as chair of the Pacific Symphony League, as a long-time board member, and as a Life Director.
“I had the pleasure of joining them at a few of their family celebrations and was always struck by the depth of love and respect they had for one another,” recalled Forsyte. “Ted and Janice were the kind of couple whose partnership grew out of not only a deep commitment to community, culture, and education, particularly UC Irvine, but out of empathy and respect. Ted was also a rabid USC football fan. Do not disturb him on a Saturday afternoon!”
