Seattle Classical Music Director Killed In Methow Valley Crash

A well-known music director was killed in a head-on crash on Highway 20 over the weekend.

George Shangrow, 59, was on his way to deliver a pre-concert lecture at the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival when a teenage driver crossed the center line during a rain storm one mile east of Winthrop on Saturday evening.

Shangrow was the founder of Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers. He guest-conducted with the Seattle Symphony, and he taught at Seattle University and the Seattle Conservatory of Music.

"He was very joyful, and he brought everybody into his aura, his energy, with his passion," said Margaret Pressley of the Seattle Conservatory of Music.

"George had the most honest, unvarnished passion for music," said Mark Salman, a friend and colleague. "He just loved it."

Shangrow was also the host of the "Live by George" show on Classical KING-FM.