Swiss conductor Emmanuel Siffert, principal conductor of the Chilean Chamber Orchestra, remembered American violist Penélope Knuth, who died in the orchestra's bus accident on Saturday in Valparaíso. "Penélope was one of the pillars of our orchestra. An outstanding performer and much loved," he said.
Siffert gave his account to El Mercurio, as reported by Emol. He said he was on the bus and saw Knuth die. "It was horrible to see her die. Shocking. It is something I will never forget," he said.
Knuth was the orchestra's principal viola, meaning the lead performer in that section. According to Siffert, she played with the ensemble for around 30 years. She was also a music academic at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the mother of violist Georgina Rossi. The conductor described her as "a teacher of many generations of musicians in our country".
The Chilean Chamber Orchestra falls under the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage. Siffert, born in Fribourg (Switzerland) in 1967, took over as its conductor in October 2022.
On Saturday, the orchestra performed Gustav Mahler's First Symphony in the main auditorium of Federico Santa María Technical University as part of its outreach activities. "The concert was wonderful. It began at 19:00. At around 21:30 we took the bus back to Santiago, and five minutes later it plunged down a ravine," he recounted.
The conductor managed to get out of the vehicle with a fractured finger and several bruises. He was treated at Mutual de Seguridad and transferred to Santiago at four on Sunday morning, where he awaits further medical checkups.
Siffert said he had still been unable to contact the orchestra's manager, Gonzalo Herrera, and that double bassist Alejandra Santa Cruz was no longer in a life-threatening condition. Regarding the causes, he called for an examination of what happened: "They told me that the person driving was a very young driver, with almost no experience at that company. That is all I know".
Siffert also questioned the figure from the Ministry of Cultures, which reported 46 members on board. He estimates around 36 people, because the permanent ensemble has 33 musicians and three additional players joined for the Mahler performance, plus the administrative team. Four musicians did not take the bus: Marco Fernández, Julio Barrios, Patricio Cano and Rafael Soto.
Regarding what comes next for the orchestra, the conductor predicted that "most likely everything will be suspended until further notice", because more than half the ensemble will be on medical leave.
