Robert A. Wykes (May 19, 1926 in

Aliquippa Aliquippa is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 9,238 at the 2020 census. It is located northwest of Pittsburgh and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Formerly the location ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

; - June 29, 2021 in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri) was an American composer of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is Western art music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st-century classical music, 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 Modernism (music), post-tonal music after the death of ...

and

flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

. He began studying the flute as a child, then served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He then attended the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

, obtaining a master's degree in music theory. He taught at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

from 1950 to 1952, also playing flute with the Toledo Symphony. His

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

''The Prankster'' premiered at the University in January 1952. Later that year, Wykes left Bowling Green to study and teach at the

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

where he stayed until he graduated with a doctorate in music in 1955. He was appointed to the music faculty of

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

in 1955, becoming a full professor in 1965. He played flute with the

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...

from 1963 to 1967 and with the Studio for New Music from 1966 to 1969. He retired from Washington University in 1988. He was appointed composer-in-residence at the Djerassi Foundation in

Woodside, California Woodside is a incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It has a council–manager system of government. The population of the town was 5,309 at the 2020 census. The town's population ha ...

in 1989 and was a visiting scholar at the Computer Center for Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1991. His notable students include

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signi ...

, Olly Wilson, Jocy de Oliveira,

Rhian Samuel Rhian Samuel (born Aberdare, Wales, 1944) is a Welsh composer who resided in the USA for many years. She has composed over 140 published works, including orchestral, chamber, vocal, and choral music. She now divides her time between mid-Wales a ...

, Gary Lee Nelson, Greg Danner and John Elwood Price. Wykes's orchestral works have been performed by the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

, the

Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Th ...

, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Brazil and the Pro Arte Symphony of Brazil, and the

Denver Symphony Orchestra The Denver Symphony Orchestra, established in 1934 and dissolved in 1989, was a professional American orchestra in Denver, Colorado Until 1978, when the Boettcher Concert Hall was built to house the symphony orchestra, it performed in a successi ...

. Wykes's music is published by Fallen Leaf Press.

Works

Film Scores *''

Monument to the Dream ''Monument to the Dream'' is a 1967 American short documentary film about the Gateway Arch National Park directed by Charles Guggenheim and narrated by Paul Richards. At the time of the film's production, the park was known as the Jefferson Na ...

'' (1968); Venice Film Festival ''Mercuro d'Oro.'' *'' Robert Kennedy Remembered'' (1969); Oscar and Cindy awards. *''MoPac Delivers'' (1975); An Industrial Film for the Missouri Pacific Railroad *''The Eye of Jefferson'' (1977); ''Cine Golden Eagle Award'' and Chicago Film Festival Silver Plaque. *''John F. Kennedy: 1917-1963'' (1977); ''Cine Golden Eagle Award.'' *''Water: The Source of Life'' (1984): for the American Pavilion, 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. Concert Works *''Toward Time’s Receding'' (1972); Orchestra. *''A Lyric Symphony'' (1980); Orchestra, Friedheim Award, Honorable Mention. *''Sonata for Flute and Piano, to Albert Tipton and Mary Norris,'' (revised 1982). *''For Cello'' (1989); Solo Cello, Fallen Leaf Press, Berkeley, CA. *''Three concert etudes: for flute alone'' (1989); Fallen Leaf Press, Berkeley, CA. *''9 Miniatures : (three sets of three)'' (1993); Violin, Cello and Piano, Fallen Leaf Press, Berkeley, CA. *''Lake Music'' (2004); Solo Alto Flute, in ''New Music for Solo Alto/Bass Flute,''

Southeast Missouri State University Southeast Missouri State University (Southeast or SEMO) is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing t ...

References

External links

Opera Glass
*

1926 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American classical composers American opera composers American male opera composers American classical flautists People from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Bowling Green State University faculty Washington University in St. Louis faculty University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign School of Music alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American flautists Eastman School of Music alumni {{flautist-stub