Charles L. Fidlar died on Dec. 14, 2019, at his home in Norfolk, Conn. with family by his side.Charles was born in Terre Haute, Ind., and moved to Hartford and Windsor, Conn. as a youth. He lived in the San Francisco Bay area for 17 years before settling in Norfolk.

Charles graduated from Loomis School in Windsor, Cornell University and the New England Conservatory of Music and pursued a Ph.D. in conducting at Stanford University. He was the founder and director of the West Bank Singers in West Hartford, music director for Gilbert and Sullivan principal comedian Martyn Green, choral director at Brown University, a founding member of the American Bach Soloists in San Francisco and an assistant conductor at the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. He also taught chorus for many years at Northwestern Regional High School in Winsted, imparting his love of music to a new generation of young singers.

In addition to his career in music, an enthusiasm for adventure defined Charles’s spirit. Biking through the western United States to Vancouver at the age of 16 was just the beginning. He soloed Mount Whitney in his 40s, drove solo cross-country a few times, canoed anytime he had the opportunity, rowed crew, was a boxer, loved squash and an intense game of badminton. He instilled that passion for adventure and admiration of persistence into his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Aside from his wife, Marylin, he leaves behind a sister, Karyl (Fidlar) Brod; a cousin, Alice (Fidlar) Fienning (Bill); his children, daughter Marilyn (Fidlar) Rodriguez (James), son Will Fidlar and step-daughter Elsa Davidson (Ali Bahrampour); a sister-in-law, Suzanne Sharp (David Giberson); his grandchildren, Karlee Dame, Nava and Giev Bahrampour, and his great-grandchildren, Makhai Santiago and Madison Dame.

A memorial service was held at the Church of Christ Congregational, on Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. Donations to the Music Department at Northwestern Regional School District #7 were requested in lieu of flowers.