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Warner Henry, Pasadena Classical Music Supporter, Dies at 82

Philanthropist was major supporter of Camerata Pacifica, L.A. Opera among numerous other musical endeavors

Published on Thursday, August 6, 2020 | 2:25 pm
 
Warner Henry. Photograph by James Carbone

Warner Henry of Pasadena, one of Southern California’s most important supporters of classical music, died Saturday of natural causes. He was 82.

Along with his wife, Carol, Henry supported numerous classical music organizations throughout Southern California for decades. Along with Camerata Pacifica and Los Angeles Opera, Henry was a longtime supporter of Chamber Orchestra, The Colburn School, Da Camera Society, Musica Angelica, and many others.

As Camerata Pacifica Artistic Director Adrian Spence wrote Thursday, “Warner served on Camerata Pacifica’s Board of Directors and was instrumental in our surviving the Great Recession.”

The Henrys gave more than $10 million to L.A. Opera, helping to pioneer the company created in 1986.

Henry was born in Los Angeles in 1938. He discovered classical music while studying economics at Stanford University. He met fellow Stanford graduate Carol after returning to L.A. to work for his father’s roofing product manufacturing company.

In the 1980s, he founded the Henry Wine Group, an importer, distributor and broker.

According to a wine trade website, in 1985, Henry “realized that the special needs of fine wine suppliers were not being met by the spirits-driven wholesale companies and decided to offer an alternative.”

Henry first founded Vintage House Distributors in Southern California and eventually acquired a select group of regional fine wine companies. The merger formed a company that became the largest importer, distributor, and broker in the United States dedicated exclusively to fine wines.

Henry , a passionate concertgoer, attended multiple shows a week. He and his wife also opened their Pasadena home for fundraisers for a host of organizations, and in 2002 hosted a Polish pianist competing in the first Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition and Festival in Pasadena.

Henry joined the L.A. Opera board in 1987, serving as vice chairman, treasurer and managing director, the company said.

The Henrys also underwrote a number of L.A. Opera productions, including “The Coronation of Poppea” in 2006, “Don Giovanni” in 2012, and “The Clemency of Titus” in 2019, through the Carol and Warner Henry Production Fund for Mozart Operas, created to honor the composer.

As Spence wrote in his touching tribute, “For those who’ve had a particular performance touch their hearts those notes ring still, never to be dulled. That’s a legacy, and that’s the inextinguishable nature of this wonderful artform. While we have the privilege to be with it, we are its stewards, with a responsibility to hand it to the next generation more than when we received it. Warner certainly has done his part.”

Henry is survived by his wife, Carol; children Will, Katie and Mike; and nine grandchildren.

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