Armand Kaproff, 85; First Cellist for Many Film, Record Producers

Armand Kaproff, 85, principal cellist for many of Hollywood’s top movie composers and record producers, died Sunday of age-related illnesses at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The Brooklyn-born Kaproff, who studied cello under Joseph Schuster, established himself as a prominent classical musician working with the NBC Orchestra under conductors Arturo Toscanini and Leopold Stokowski, and under Bernard Hermann with the CBS Symphony. While still in New York, he formed the Kaproff Trio, which performed at Town Hall and was a guest cellist with The Budapest Quartet.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1949, Kaproff became principal cellist for Disney Studios and for Oscar-winning film composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein and John Barry. He also played first cello on recordings for diverse artists such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones.

He also continued his classical career, as a member of the Los Angeles String Quartet and the Pacific Arts Piano Quartet, and served at various times as first cellist for the Long Beach Symphony, the Pasadena Symphony and the California Chamber Symphony.