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\u2019s String Quintet.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
CFA Professor and BSO member Stephen Ansell told the Boston Globe<\/em>:\u00a0 \u201cHis performances and his recordings inspired so many people,\u2019\u2019 recalled Ansell. \u201cFor me, as a kid growing up in Seattle, my rock music was the six Bart\u00f3k quartets that the Juilliard quartet recorded. I used to play them on my stereo, and they were a revelation.<\/p>\n