Christopher Rouse 1949-2019 | In Memoriam

Renowned composer Christopher Rouse, a Juilliard faculty member since 1997, died September 21 at a hospice center in Towson, Maryland. He was 70 and had been suffering from renal cancer. Rouse’s survivors include his wife, two children, two stepchildren, and three grandchildren.

“Chris was that rare composer and teacher who embraced everything from Wagner to Led Zeppelin. His own music has a fierce energy and expressive power that speaks to musicians and listeners alike,” Ara Guzelimian, provost and dean, said. “We were so fortunate to have his presence on the Juilliard faculty for more than 20 years. He leaves a rich legacy of works and several generations of students.”

Born in Baltimore February 15, 1949, Rouse decided at age 6 to become a composer after his mother played a recording of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony for him. “It was like the heavens opened up,” he said in a 2012 Boosey & Hawkes video, Rouse on Rouse. Not long after that, he heard a Prokofiev recording in a record store and began his love affair with new music. Rouse received his bachelor’s at Oberlin and his MFA and doctorate at Cornell. His teachers included Richard Hoffmann, Robert Palmer, Karel Husa, and George Crumb. In addition to Juilliard, he taught at the University of Michigan, Eastman, Aspen, and Peabody.

Rouse’s works have been performed by major orchestras around the world, recorded by major labels, and commissioned by a who’s who of performing arts luminaries. Among the many honors he received over the years were a Pulitzer (for Trombone Concerto, premiered by faculty member Joseph Alessi with the New York Philharmonic under alumnus Leonard Slatkin), a Grammy (for Concert de Gaudí, 2002, written for and recorded by faculty member Sharon Isbin), the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award (for Symphony No. 1, 1988), and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters (since 2002). Among the many positions he held was a residency with the New York Philharmonic (2012-15); he also had a long association with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Rouse had been working on what would be his final work, Symphony No. 6, up until shortly before his death; it’s scheduled to premiere October 18 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under Louis Langrée. While his work ranged in style over the years, Rouse said in the Boosey & Hawkes video that if a listener “feels that there is that bond established between me and them, that’s what matters most.”

Among the many community members who paid their respects on social media was Slatkin, who wrote that Rouse “will be remembered for his incredible individuality, humility, immense knowledge, and willingness to share.” Alan Gilbert (Pre-College ’85, violin; MM ’94, orchestral conducting) wrote that Rouse was “a truly great musical force who spoke with a fiercely personal and powerful voice. I always felt when I performed his music that I was fortunate to touch some of the great music of our time—music that will long endure.”