It is with sadness that I must report that Professor Raphael Hillyer, acclaimed musician, teacher, and mentor to so many students in our School of Music died on December 27, at the age of 97. Professor Hillyer had recently served on the Host Committee of the Roman Totenberg Centennial Celebration at Symphony Hall and had just completed teaching a course on Schubert’s String Quintet.
Professor Hillyer found time to attend countless concerts and recitals over the years in support of student musicians and was an active member of the College of Fine Arts community.
CFA Professor and BSO member Stephen Ansell told the Boston Globe: “His performances and his recordings inspired so many people,’’ recalled Ansell. “For me, as a kid growing up in Seattle, my rock music was the six Bartók quartets that the Juilliard quartet recorded. I used to play them on my stereo, and they were a revelation.
Professor Hillyer’s obituary in the Boston Globe confirms that his remarkable career was at the center of classical music in the 20th century. I hope you will take a moment to read it.
