Remembering Ronald Roseman

This is such a touching, sweet tribute to our beloved Mr. Roseman. I was ahead of Anna a year at Yale and I have thought of him so much since school and since his terribly untimely death. I can remember sitting in a giant olive green chair as a 5-year old listening to my parents records of the New York Wind Quintet with giant headphones covering my ears. All I could hear was his glorious playing. And the image of him in his 40's printed on those vinyl covers has forever been imprinted in my memory. Who knew I would know him so intimately later in life. Thank you for this celebration of this wonderful oboist and man. I am sure all of his reeds are working in perfect harmony today as he worships in heaven! I love the Handel recording here- he loved for his student's to play Handel and I love Handel because of him. Thanks so much!

Amy Christensen

Ronny was a teacher, mentor, dear friend, almost a big brother. He encouraged me all the time, SUNY-Binghamton, NYC (Army Band), Aspen Music Festival 1973, Good times in Florida when he toured with the NY Phil. Almost best-man at our wedding (he was in Canada), and introduced me to my wife while she was at Yale, met my 5 year old son.

Daniel Cross

What a pleasure to discover this website. The Handel sounds fantastic! Ronnie was such a giving teacher, such a wonderful musician. It is a pleasure to see the list of compositions! His piece Come Chitarra was written in 1988 at my request for a performance at P.S.1 in Long Island City, as part of the "Sounds from the Left Bank" series, for which I was the Artistic Director. On that same program (in Spring of 1988) Ronnie also performed a piece I had written for him, "Icons" for oboe, clarinet and piano. Ronnie played beautifully that day, as he did everytime he performed. I learned a great deal from that experience and from every musical encounter I had with him. We miss him.

Prof. Edward Smaldone, Director Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College

I am so happy to have found this site. I studied with Ron while a student at Columbia 1974-7 and later with Mark Hill and Randy Ellis at Ron's recommendation. He introduced me to the oboe. I think I was his only beginning student and I treasure what I learned from him ever since. Every time I pick up the instrument, I am taken back to my lessons with him. I am forever indepted.

Does anyone know how I can get a copy of the Desto recording of the Schumann romances Ron made with Gilbert Kalish? 

Dr. Rafi Kieval

I was thrilled to see this website as a tribute to Mr. Roseman. I had the privilege to have studied with him as the first student at Queens College in 1974. I also was priveleged to sit along side of him for a concert when I was in the All-City High School Orchestra and we played with the NY Phil when he was principal oboist. I also still have the Loree oboe he sold me with a signed paper from him of the value of the oboe. Also in my collection of Ronald Roseman records is a signed copy of his record of Hindemith and Schumann, as well as a very old recording of the Handel with Melvin Kaplan and Ronald Roseman playing oboe. I respected Mr. Roseman and his playing very much and loved his sound and sensitive and thoughtful ornamentations.

Dr. Robin Onikul

I was very happy to see and hear this site devoted to the memory of Ronald Roseman. I had studied with Ronnie in the mid 1960's while a student at the High School of Music and Art and later went on to study with Harold Gomberg at the Manhattan School of Music.

Ronnie's care, kindness and patience were so important to me as a young oboist. I even kept the notebook that he had me write things down in to remember as well as the answers to the many questions that I asked him about reeds and music. His stressing of the elements of music and the importance of projecting a beautiful tone have remained with me.

I am very happy that this site will help preserve Ronnie's legacy for those of us who were fortunate enough to have been in contact with him and also for those who were not familiar with him and his art.

Thank you again.

Bruce Weinstein, principal oboist, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

I am a former student of Ronnie's and when I started listening to this it brought tears to my eyes. Ronnie was not only an outstanding teacher, but one of the finest musicians I have ever heard. His kind, warm spirit touches the soul. Thank YOU for what you do.

Randy Israel

What a terrific resource! Thanks for putting this website together. Hearing these recordings again is truly an inspiration!

Stephen Caplan, Oboe Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

As a former student of Ronald Roseman's. 1970, Aspen,; 1973 SUNY Binghamton, I'm thrilled to see this website!

Keep me informed!

Anna Hemmendinger

How nice to hear the Handel Sonata as an introduction to Ronny's website. I've always loved his phrasing and ornamentation, and in my collaboration with Ronny in the Handel Trio sonatas, I tried to match him as closely as possible. What a privilege it was to have worked with Ronny Roseman on so many projects!

Virginia Brewer

Thank you so much for creating this site! I was always a fan of Mr. Roseman and played for him in a master class that Mr. Gilbert hosted when I was in college. That one lesson from him equaled two years of learning elsewhere.

Nancy Huang

What a fabulous website and project -- thank you so very much and will look forward to getting those CD's of the Handel in the near future. I spent 2 weeks with Mr. Roseman in June of 1984 at the Bach Aria Festival and really admired his beautiful playing and exquisite musicianship on the Bach arias that summer.

Merilee Klemp

Associate Prof/Music Department

Augsburg College

Thanks for the link, and especially for the audio clips, which bring back a flood of warm memories. I knew Ronnie some at Stony Brook, and was studying cello with Tim Eddy at the time they made these recordings.

I had forgotten how beautifully Ronnie played. So expressive and refined!

He informally coached a group I was in a couple of times, and he co-taught a baroque performance class with Sam Baron (or maybe subbed when Sam was not well). Their deep connection with the Bach Cantatas was inspiring. They seemed to know all of them, and all of their texts, and all of their musical symbolism, and it all showed in their demonstrations, which went far beyond technical details. They brought them to life in a way that was new to me.

I will keep checking the site for new audio clips.

Tim Flaherty

John P. and Magdalena R. Dexter Professor of Music

Pomona College

Dear Jackie

Thanks so much for letting me know about this.

I would count Ronny as one of my important musical mentors. I was his chamber music student at Sarah Lawrence and later at Juilliard between 1974-1980.

Later on I had the amazing opportunity to become his colleague at Norfolk. I played a performance of his double quintet there in the late 80s -early 90s, and taught along side of Ronny for several summers after that. My quintet (the Aspen Quintet) also commissioned him to write a fantastic woodwind quintet, which we premiered at the 92nd St Y. Perhaps a recording of us doing this piece exists. We would be honored to be part of this collection of recordings.

There were also some recordings of a group of Juilliard students (me included) led by Paul Clive. Ronny conducted the Beethoven Octet, plus did an amazing performance with Paul of his piece for 2 oboes and Harpsichord.

In any case, thanks so much for working on this project. It's so important that people like Ronny are never forgotten and that their legacy is preserved for future generations.

David Krakauer

Clarinet Soloist

Kezmer Madness!

Manhattan School and Mannes College Faculty member

I happened to learn about Queens College after the spring semester of 1996 had concluded, so I auditioned in "Ronny's" apartment on the Upper West Side. Having never met him, I was immediately disarmed by his gentle manner (and his request that I take off my shoes, (after the custom of his wife). I recall many things about that day - not the least of which is that it was he who admitted me to the conservatory - but I recall best how he immediately put me at ease, bringing out the best in me. For this, I have felt a deep gratitude, accompanied by a great sorrow that I never was able to truly thank him.

I'll never forget the time he was coaching our group in the Beethoven Piano and Winds quintet, and I suppose I must have cleanly executed the horn solo in the andante movement. As we finished that section and he stopped us to give us some words, he casually nodded to me and said in passing, "Bravo." I was in my first year, and it seemed a great, barely-deserved honor from a fine artist. In reality, it was just a small gesture; but now, that moment has come to represent for me his generosity of spirit, a model of grace I can but hope to emulate.

Professor Roseman, Ronny, shaped my life in a way he probably never realized, but for which I am ever grateful. He is not forgotten: I can still see him bobbing down the hall with his ubiquitous backpack, bringing out the best in people.

Will Orzo

What a wonderful tribute! I had the pleasure of studying with Mr. Roseman at Yale from '94-'96 and at the Bach Aria Festival in '96. I continue to learn from him and feel inspiration every single time I hear a recording! His warm, generous and charming personality is ever present in his playing. Our lessons on tone production, vibrato, phrasing and detailed reed making were invaluable to me as a player and now as a teacher, I enjoy sharing his legacy with others. Thank you so much for this gift.

Nicole Golay

I recently came across this site. In looking over it I suspect that I was one of Ronald Roseman's first students. I graduated junior high school, JHS 50, in Brooklyn in June 1956 and started Stuyvesant HS as a sophomore in September 1956. The first week of school, Mr Barth of the music department came around to each class of entering student and said that the band and orchestra needed oboe and bassoon players, and that the school would loan us an instrument if our parents would arrange for private lessons. The summer of 1956 I learnt how to play the recorder at Camp Ramah, and was interested in continuing with formal lessons. My parents had no problem signing me up at the Henry Street Music Settlement, which in retrospect had an excellent music school. They gave classes in music theory, and assigned me to Mr. Roseman. This was in September 1956. I note an error in the thesis of Anna Lampidis who notes that he started teaching at the Henry Street Music Settlement in early 1960. I continued studying with him the three years I was at Stuyvesant and also the first year I was at Brooklyn College. However, I was a chemistry and physics major and in my sophomore year at college between courses and labs it was difficult to travel from Brooklyn to his apartment on Broadway around 123rd Street. While I never had any plans on professionally playing the oboe, I look at the years I spent studying with Ronald Roseman with a very pleasant nostalgia. I am not sure how large a comment I can include in this response so I will end here, but would be happy to supply any additional information on my memories of my studies, such as lying on the floor with telephone books on my stomach to build up my muscles for playing with vibrato.

Edward. Bromberg