Remembering Fox Fehling

Fehling in 1979

Robert M. Lightfoot III

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family mourns the loss of Fox Fehling, who served as a member of the violin section from 1979 until 2022. She died on July 7, 2025, following a long illness. Fehling was 76.

Born on June 23, 1949, in Iowa City, Iowa, Fehling later studied in New York at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School. Her teachers included Dorothy DeLay, Charles Treger, Raphael Bronstein, Allen Ohmes, Shmuel Ashkenasi and Donald Weilerstein. While in New York, Fehling had the distinction of becoming the first winner of the Mischa Elman Award and made a recital tour of Italy with Joseph Seiger, Elman’s longtime accompanist.

Fehling performed with orchestras as diverse as the Springfield Symphony, the National Orchestra of New York, the Piedmont Chamber Orchestra, the Florida Symphony and the orchestras at the Spoleto and Aspen music festivals.

Fox Fehling performing with the CSOkies (ca. 1990)

Before joining the CSO, Fehling played with the Grant Park Orchestra and served as assistant principal second violin with the Lyric Opera Orchestra. In addition, she was active as a chamber musician and also played bluegrass and western swing with the CSOkies, a country-western band comprised of members of the Orchestra.

At the invitation of Sir Georg Solti, Fehling joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1979. She served in the violin section for 43 years until her retirement in 2022.

Fox Fehling is survived by her sister Vicki Mayne, nieces Elizabeth and Diana, nephew Joseph, great-nieces Caroline and Abigail, and great-nephews Jack and Colin. Friends and colleagues are invited to gather with the family to share memories at the visitation, to be held at Donnellan Funeral Home in Skokie on Thursday afternoon, July 17, from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m.

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