Former concertmaster cuts SPCO from his will

Romuald Tecco / Star Tribune file photo by Joey McLeister.

Longtime SPCO concertmaster Romuald Tecco, in a strongly worded letter to management of the chamber orchestra, called the board's leadership in the current labor dispute "a disgrace and a shame." Tecco, who was concertmaster from 1972 to 1998, described the lockout as "blackmail" and announced he was removing from his will a bequeathal to the SPCO.

Wrote Tecco in his letter to president and board chair Dobson West, dated Jan. 2, 2013:

I will make this short and to the point. Because of my fondness for the SPCO and my lifelong interest in contemporary music, I had earmarked in my will that upon my death and that of my partner, the sum of $350,000 go to the orchestra to create a fund to commission a new piece by an emerging young American composer either every other year or when income money from that fund was judged sufficient. Should I and my partner die tomorrow, I certainly would not want that gift to reward the kind of institution you are now leading and are trying your best to bastardize. In that light, it is with deep regret that I am striking that provision out of my will. I might reinstate it if and when I am satisfied with the way this sad situation is resolved either by your administration or a next one.

The French-born Tecco was described at the time of his retirement as "one of the best-known personalities in Twin
Cities classical music."