Mario Mancinelli of Bloomington, Illinois, died March 15, 2022. He was 99. Mario served as a faculty member in Illinois Wesleyan’s School of Music for 35 years. He was hired in 1948 to teach strings and chamber music, and conduct the student orchestra. He retired in 1983 with emeritus status. Mario attended Ohio State University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was also a faculty member at Brevard Music Center for 25 years. He was a member of the American String Teachers Association, American Federation of Musicians, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and an honorary member of Phi Kappa Phi. Mario was an accomplished violinist and played regularly in Central Illinois orchestras. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, playing and listening to classical music, playing cards, and watching the Indianapolis 500, World Series and the Olympics. He was a longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal. He is survived by two children and a granddaughter.
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Although I only played in the ochestra for 2 years at Illinois Wesleyan, I credit Mr. Mancinelli with giving me very helpful instruction on bowing mechanics, which I continue to use today. He was very patient with me and probably never expected that I would end up enjoying playing so much in my retirement years! My ability to play the violin has been a blessing to me, as I have been able to play for weekly hymn sings and fiddle sing-alongs during COVID lockdowns at senior living facilities where I have resided when other musicians were not allowed to come in from outside. I thank Mr. Mancinelli for his encouagement.