Welcome to the memorial page for
Roberta Dawn Schlosser
August 17, 1918 ~ January 6, 2013 (age 94) 94 Years OldShare using:
Roberta D. Schlosser of Binghamton, New York, was born on August 17th, 1918, to Charles and Rhoda in Syracuse, New York, and passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 6th, 2013 at Lourdes Hospital. Roberta is survived by her family of friends. A retired Professor of Music and a founder of the Vocal Program at Binghamton University, Roberta celebrated a lifelong career in music. She was an avid sports fan, fisherman, and had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
Roberta D. Schlosser held several degrees from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester: Bachelor of Music (Voice Pedagogy); Master of Music (Music Literature); Ph.D. (Theory) (Interdisciplinary -- Music Education). She also earned The Performer’s Diploma in Voice.
Sixty Years of the Musical Life
(re-typed from a 1988 article)
An apple for the teacher? Professor of Music, Roberta Schlosser, brings apples for her students. It’s partly concern about their nutritional well being, but mostly out of affection. “The students who like Golden Delicious are coming today,” she says, as she places a board of fruit on her desk.
Schlosser, a founder of the musical program at the University, is retiring this spring after 25 years. Next fall, she’ll teach “when the spirit moves me - because I still thoroughly enjoy teaching, I really do. “But I’m looking forward to a life not wedded to the academic calendar as it has been for me for sixty years, either as a student or teacher.” she adds.
An interviewer first notices Schlossers’ impeccable diction and her expressive musical voice. No wonder. Diction and the ability to sing and interpret languages are her specialties.
Understanding what one is singing (in a foreign language), so that you know where the inflections are in a language, is a must … Singing is tuned speech.” she maintains. “If speech is incorrect, you’re on the wrong track all together.”
Schlosser, who joined the music department faculty in 1961, has never considered a career other than music. “It was the only thing I was ever good at ~ that narrowed it down a little bit,” she laughs. Her mother encouraged her music studies, she says, and her father influenced her in his own way - by playing his collection of the worlds great singers on a crank style Victrola. I still have the records and I still have the record player and it still works,” she says. Musical talent may be in the blood ~ Schlosser is a direct descendant of the English madrigalist, Thomas Morley.
The music professor attended a classical high School in Syracuse, where she learned Latin, Greek, French and German to a depth that few students do today. She also played the piano for all the music classes and at 14, taught a class in the rudiments of music. Schlosser continued her studies, both in voice and piano (with a secretarial course to hedge her bets) at Syracuse University, then transferred to the Eastman School of Music, where she studied on a full scholarship all four years . At 18, she sang her first operatic role, Mimi in La Boheme. “I wanted to perform. I thought of nothing else,” says Schlosser, who received a performers certificate in 1940 and her Master of Music degree from Eastman in 1941.
But World War II shattered her plans. She’d been accepted into a Metropolitan Opera Company training program for young singers and was about to embark on a nationwide concert tour, when it all disappeared with the onset of war, she explained. With all the men called up, the schools were crying for teachers and she was pressed into service.
That was undoubtedly the low point in her career. “It was a terrific adjustment to think that I’d have a performing career one minute, only to find myself teaching music in a public school because it needed doing and it was my contribution to the war effort. I felt I was way off track,” she says.
During three years as a public school teacher, she taught every instrument and every level - elementary, junior high and high school. Along the way she picked up NYS certification both in vocal and instrumental music and a PhD in theory from Eastman. She taught at Alfred University, the Eastman School, Nazareth College, the State University College at Geneseo, and Mansfield State Teachers College before she was recruited to build a vocal music program at Binghamton. That first year it was hard to find eight voice students, she recalls, “and we sometimes had to scrape bottom to get them. Those early years were tough, but I hung in there.”
The vocal coach never considered moving to a music conservatory, “I firmly believe that vocal students need a flexible liberal arts background. They need to find out what singing is all about before they enter a strict performance atmosphere.” She also believes in training singers at individual rates as their voices mature.
While auditioning new singers, Schlosser doesn’t “care whether they’ve had a lot of training. I want to hear a good sound, a natural unharmed sound. Second, I listen for that indefinite thing I call a flare for singing. The other thing I look for is how teachable they are, how open they are to suggestion … if the mind is closed there’s little that can be done with them.”
As the size and scope of Binghamtons’ vocal program changed, so did the profession of opera singing, Schlosser says. An opera singer, who undoubtedly will be seen on stage and believed, must have a physique to match the role he or she will sing. When radio was the principle medium for opera broadcasts, appearance mattered little. Today, “to be able to act as well as sing is an absolute. Opera is all art forms combined after all.” she says.
Few young singers have to prove themselves on the European stage these days; there are golden opportunities for them with American companies.” That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good idea to go to Europe at some point.”
After September 1, Schlosser will remain in the area, but may be scarce for a while. “I want to see Europe and more of the U.S. I love to travel and meet people.”
She may still have her dads’ crank-style Victrola, but says it’s time to adopt the dog to sit in front of it. If you don’t find her at home, you might locate her at a baseball game - she’s an avid fan.
If all else fails, Schlosser says to believe the sign on the door. It will say “Gone Fishing”
~ Lee Shepherd
Roberta D. Schlosser held several degrees from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester: Bachelor of Music (Voice Pedagogy); Master of Music (Music Literature); Ph.D. (Theory) (Interdisciplinary -- Music Education). She also earned The Performer’s Diploma in Voice.
Sixty Years of the Musical Life
(re-typed from a 1988 article)
An apple for the teacher? Professor of Music, Roberta Schlosser, brings apples for her students. It’s partly concern about their nutritional well being, but mostly out of affection. “The students who like Golden Delicious are coming today,” she says, as she places a board of fruit on her desk.
Schlosser, a founder of the musical program at the University, is retiring this spring after 25 years. Next fall, she’ll teach “when the spirit moves me - because I still thoroughly enjoy teaching, I really do. “But I’m looking forward to a life not wedded to the academic calendar as it has been for me for sixty years, either as a student or teacher.” she adds.
An interviewer first notices Schlossers’ impeccable diction and her expressive musical voice. No wonder. Diction and the ability to sing and interpret languages are her specialties.
Understanding what one is singing (in a foreign language), so that you know where the inflections are in a language, is a must … Singing is tuned speech.” she maintains. “If speech is incorrect, you’re on the wrong track all together.”
Schlosser, who joined the music department faculty in 1961, has never considered a career other than music. “It was the only thing I was ever good at ~ that narrowed it down a little bit,” she laughs. Her mother encouraged her music studies, she says, and her father influenced her in his own way - by playing his collection of the worlds great singers on a crank style Victrola. I still have the records and I still have the record player and it still works,” she says. Musical talent may be in the blood ~ Schlosser is a direct descendant of the English madrigalist, Thomas Morley.
The music professor attended a classical high School in Syracuse, where she learned Latin, Greek, French and German to a depth that few students do today. She also played the piano for all the music classes and at 14, taught a class in the rudiments of music. Schlosser continued her studies, both in voice and piano (with a secretarial course to hedge her bets) at Syracuse University, then transferred to the Eastman School of Music, where she studied on a full scholarship all four years . At 18, she sang her first operatic role, Mimi in La Boheme. “I wanted to perform. I thought of nothing else,” says Schlosser, who received a performers certificate in 1940 and her Master of Music degree from Eastman in 1941.
But World War II shattered her plans. She’d been accepted into a Metropolitan Opera Company training program for young singers and was about to embark on a nationwide concert tour, when it all disappeared with the onset of war, she explained. With all the men called up, the schools were crying for teachers and she was pressed into service.
That was undoubtedly the low point in her career. “It was a terrific adjustment to think that I’d have a performing career one minute, only to find myself teaching music in a public school because it needed doing and it was my contribution to the war effort. I felt I was way off track,” she says.
During three years as a public school teacher, she taught every instrument and every level - elementary, junior high and high school. Along the way she picked up NYS certification both in vocal and instrumental music and a PhD in theory from Eastman. She taught at Alfred University, the Eastman School, Nazareth College, the State University College at Geneseo, and Mansfield State Teachers College before she was recruited to build a vocal music program at Binghamton. That first year it was hard to find eight voice students, she recalls, “and we sometimes had to scrape bottom to get them. Those early years were tough, but I hung in there.”
The vocal coach never considered moving to a music conservatory, “I firmly believe that vocal students need a flexible liberal arts background. They need to find out what singing is all about before they enter a strict performance atmosphere.” She also believes in training singers at individual rates as their voices mature.
While auditioning new singers, Schlosser doesn’t “care whether they’ve had a lot of training. I want to hear a good sound, a natural unharmed sound. Second, I listen for that indefinite thing I call a flare for singing. The other thing I look for is how teachable they are, how open they are to suggestion … if the mind is closed there’s little that can be done with them.”
As the size and scope of Binghamtons’ vocal program changed, so did the profession of opera singing, Schlosser says. An opera singer, who undoubtedly will be seen on stage and believed, must have a physique to match the role he or she will sing. When radio was the principle medium for opera broadcasts, appearance mattered little. Today, “to be able to act as well as sing is an absolute. Opera is all art forms combined after all.” she says.
Few young singers have to prove themselves on the European stage these days; there are golden opportunities for them with American companies.” That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good idea to go to Europe at some point.”
After September 1, Schlosser will remain in the area, but may be scarce for a while. “I want to see Europe and more of the U.S. I love to travel and meet people.”
She may still have her dads’ crank-style Victrola, but says it’s time to adopt the dog to sit in front of it. If you don’t find her at home, you might locate her at a baseball game - she’s an avid fan.
If all else fails, Schlosser says to believe the sign on the door. It will say “Gone Fishing”
~ Lee Shepherd
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