Fred Frumberg (1960-2024)

Fred Frumberg was very much an enabler for the beginnings of En Blanc et Noir. His then partner Robert Turnbull was a man of creative ideas and passionate intent but he needed the steadying, determined hand of Fred to accomplish them. Fred had already been very instrumental in re-establishing the arts in Cambodia, supressed under the Khmer Rouge, and had a long history of energetic contributions to a string of opera companies in the US, Germany and of course, Cambodia. 

When Robert decided he wanted to start a piano festival in Lagrasse, supporting young, talanted and emerging musicians, Fred was the person to help him get going, and his grounded energy enabled him to complement Robert to begin the festival that has grown in reputation for the last fourteen years. He was the one who convinced me of the possibilities and drew me in, along with Fran and Phil Turner, to make the dream a reality. Sadly Fred and Robert parted, and Robert died in 2018, but Fred remained a supporter of the festival as an executor of Robert’s will and co-founder of the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation. 

Fred died on the 7th of December 2024 at the young age of 64 and is much missed in the wider world of the arts, but here, in France, En Blanc Et Noir is continuing his legacy.

David Craig

Robert Turnbull, perhaps the most franticly active person I have ever known, used to call Fred a workaholic; yet part of the charm — and much of the strain — of them together was in how different their busynesses were. Robert tackled his arch-enemy Agenda with a sawn-off shotgun, Fred with diplomacy and persistence.  He was thorough and detailed, but relished being so, not least for the fact he loved the variety of humankind, from the urbanity of Peter Sellars, to whom he was an invaluable collaborator, to the crazy war-torn antics of the Cambodian arts-scene.  Alas, that level of work exhausted his allocation all too quickly.

His death saddened and shocked me, as he had lately sailed into a happy time, plain to share on FaceBook, looking dapper, even in shorts, in the oddest places on Earth.  Having known him for what has turned out to be half his life, I looked back into our spasmodic emails, he always expansively receptive, kind, insightful, encouraging, deft of thought and of judgement.  Our fond friendship had survived my telling Robert that AOL (Fred and I were the last AOL users left on the planet) had an ‘away message’ facility, Robert having been driven nuts trying to prize Fred away from work.  Yes, that was a moment.

One of my favourite moments was when both Fred and I had important work to accomplish on a certain day, in Lagrasse, each slaving against deadlines in Robert’s house; Robert duly abandoned us dullards for the day, to swim in some pond or sea, and I kitted the freezer with vodka for Fred and me to celebrate close-of-play, when it came.  We met at the fridge at 6.  I prepared tall celebratory beakers, we chinked, and then Fred stirred his with his forefinger.  In my sheltered life I had only ever known Peter Schlesinger do that and I asked Fred, “Is that a gay thing, a Californian gay thing?”  He rocked with laughter.  “My God, I got that from my Dad… — if he had thought that, oh my God!”  I hear his bright-eyed laughter still.

Jonny Brown

Fred Frumberg Obituary (January 27, 1960 – December 7, 2024 )

Fred Frumberg, whose remarkable career in performing arts took him from the grand opera houses of the world to rebuilding an arts infrastructure in Cambodia that had been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge, died in Los Angeles on December 7, 2024. He was 64. His husband, Ping (Reichen) Yu, was with him at his passing, which was peaceful and loving.
Fred was born 27 January 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family lived for a time on a kibbutz in Israel raising chickens. Having returned to the United States, he was known as a « theater kid » at Neshaminy Maple Point High School, and earned a degree in Theater at Temple University, where he persuaded the department head to let him craft an individualized program of study in arts administration.
Before he’d even graduated, he was hired by the San Francisco Opera, where his energetic dedication began to be noticed. Soon he had also worked with San Diego Opera; St. Louis Opera; and Spoleto Festival USA; he then spread his wings to Europe, where he interned in East Berlin at Komische Oper with stage director Harry Kupfer, whose naturalistic and political style influenced Fred deeply. During this time, as Fred commuted daily from his rooms in the west through a checkpoint in the Berlin Wall, he also befriended a family in East Berlin; only his closest friends knew that he was smuggling jeans and comic books to the family’s children.
Through much of the 1980s and into the 1990s, Fred worked with universally acclaimed directors, and he rose to the level of associate director with Peter Sellars (Nixon in China, Death of Klinghoffer. Persephone/Iolanta), Deborah Warner (La Traviata, The Messiah, Dido and Aeneas), and Francesca Zambello (War and Peace, Salumbo, Boris Godunov). At Paris National Opera and Netherlands Opera, he also assisted directors such as Philippe Seureil, Elijah Moshinsky, Herbert Wernicke, and Liviu Ciulei. Yet his ambitions were never to become a director in his own right; rather, he sought to enable important works by innovative artists to be seen.
In his work and during breaks, Fred traveled extensively throughout the world. His ability to navigate across borders, his profound interest in humanity, and his insatiable energy led him to become fluent in English, French, and German; he was also competent in Hebrew and Dutch. But he did not yet know one word of Khmer when his vast talents led UNESCO in 1997 to send him to Cambodia as a consultant addressing the need to rebuild the arts infrastructure there after the Khmer Rouge’s devastation of that culture. His warm embrace of the Cambodian people and his energetic determination to promote their work rather than his own stature led to success in reviving the ancient traditions of Cambodian dance and theater. His deepening interest, meanwhile, led him to continue living in Phnom Penh, where he established AMRITA Performing Arts, a nonprofit organization committed to the development of contemporary Cambodian dance and theater along with the preservation of traditional Khmer performing arts.
It was during his tenure at the multidisciplinary Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), under the artistic direction of Ong Keng Sen, that Fred met Ping Yu (« Reichen »). Reichen calmed Fred’s restless soul, nurtured his spirit, and happily met the challenge of keeping up with Fred’s energetic world travels. They set about building a life together, eventually settling in Los Angeles, where in December 2016 Fred joined the Center of the Art of Performance at UCLA as Deputy to Artistic and Executive Director Kristy Edmunds. When Kristy moved on, Fred acted as co-director with his colleague, Meryl Friedman, for two years, during which among other achievements, the new Nimoy Theatre was opened, adding to CAP UCLA’s six performance spaces and reach.
Fred and Reichen were married in an intimate ceremony in California’s Napa Valley in 2018. Reichen became a citizen of the United States, and they adopted a dog, Cobie, from Korea-of course across national boundaries. Fred and Reichen continued to travel, with Reichen documenting their life together through photographs that illustrated their mutual love of exploring new places and cultures.
Edgar Miramontes, who is currently Artistic and Executive Director at CAP UCLA, said, « Throughout his career, Fred Frumberg exemplified a forward-thinking approach to arts management, cultural diplomacy, and artistic collaboration. His ability to navigate the complexities of international arts partnerships made him a vital figure in the global arts community. His work will continue to inspire artists, arts administrators, and audiences worldwide. »
And yet, Fred never wanted the limelight, preferring to focus his dynamic energy on making things work, on bringing to life the dreams of artists, on creating a context for performing arts to rise to its finest purpose: illuminating the reality and possibilities of humanity.
In the words of stage director Francesca Zambello, « Fred could take control, calm egos, soothe divas, and guide all to safe harbor. » There was every reason to believe that Fred’s sterling contributions to performing arts and his life with Reichen were really just beginning when, at the age of 64, Fred’s dynamic energy was disrupted by pancreatic cancer. He dealt with this as he did with everything-with optimism, determination, and the profound belief that if he stayed on track, he could « make it work. »
Peter Sellars described Fred as « Unbelievably kind, forever devoted to…the people and the projects, to the possibilities and the problems, hilarious, irreverent, loving, worried, determined, and going the extra mile every day with every last ounce of strength and hope and belief, holding and deepening life-long friendships across the globe and across the years, taking charge when someone had to take charge, always with startling honesty, humility, and the courage and keenness to really help. »
Francesca Zambello, referring to Fred as « a visionary and a master facilitator, bringing many people together to make projects happen » went on to say, « He will be missed at every tech table of life. AMRITA means immortality in Sanskrit, and I know his creative spirit lives on eternally in dance, opera, theater, music, and all he touched. »
Quoting Peter Sellars again, « We will all always love Fred. And smile deeply when we think of him. And be grateful that he shone so brightly and so beautifully in our lives, helping to make his own dreams, and the dreams of so many people around him, into reality. »
Predeceased by his parents, Irv and Rita Frumberg, Fred is survived by his husband, Ping (Reichen) Yu, Fred’s brother, Phil Frumberg, sister Liz White, nephews Shawn White and Ryan White, their spouses Kailyn and Amanda, and children Maya, Zoe, Ava, Adalena, and Kimora. He also leaves behind numerous dear friends, valued colleagues, and many people whose lives he touched through his kind and humble spirit as well as his vibrant dedication to bringing relevant and transformative works to the world stage.