The violinist was a long-time faculty member of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and a former associate concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music has shared news of the death of Australian violinist Stanley Ritchie, its distinguished professor emeritus of music in violin and early violin. He was 91.
Born in 1935, Ritchie graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1956, continuing his studies in Paris with Jean Fournier and in the US with Joseph Fuchs, Oscar Shumsky and Samuel Kissel.
He performed as concertmaster of the New York City Opera from 1963; as associate concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra from 1965–70; and as assistant concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra from 1973–75. He then joined the acclaimed Philadelphia Quartet as its first violinist, which at that time was in residence at Seattle’s University of Washington.
Ritchie was also a member of Duo Geminiani, the Mozartean Players, and appeared as soloist and conductor with ensembles including Tafelmusik, the Academy of Ancient Music, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra.
He joined the Jacobs School of Music faculty in 1982 and was named distinguished professor in 2016. Ritchie was also a faculty member of the Accademia di Musica Antica and served as artistic director of the Bloomington Early Music Festival for ten years.
In 2009, Early Music America bestowed him with the Howard Mayer Brown Award for Lifetime Achievement in Early Music.
Through Indiana University Press, Ritchie published two books: Before the Chinrest—a Violinist’s Guide to the Mysteries of Pre-Chinrest Technique and Style (2012) and The Accompaniment in ’Unaccompanied’ Bach—Interpreting the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (2016).
In addition to a published obituary, the Jacobs School of Music paid tribute to the violinist on social media:
‘A world-renowned musician and cherished mentor, Ritchie served on the Jacobs faculty for nearly four decades.
‘From concertmaster roles at the New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra to his pioneering work in historical performance, his career spanned continents and generations. As a performer, author, and founder of the Jacobs Baroque Orchestra, he transformed the early music field and built a lasting foundation for historical performance at the Jacobs School of Music.
‘Ritchie’s musical sensitivity, curiosity, and legacy live on through the generations of musicians he inspired. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and former students.’
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