In Memoriam: Bard Remembers the Life of Professor Arthur Burrows
In a letter to the Bard community, President Leon Botstein memorialized Professor Burrows's life.
It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the passing of longtime faculty member and friend Arthur Burrows. Arthur joined the Bard faculty in 1980 as Visiting Assistant Professor of Drama and taught here for more than 30 years, retiring as Associate Professor of Music in 2012.
Arthur Burrows was more than a fine and distinguished vocal artist and teacher of voice, opera and theater. His musical skills were astounding. Together with William Driver, the longtime head of Drama and Dance at Bard, Arthur mounted full length staged performances of operas in the 1980s with student actors—not younger pre-professional students of the voice—directed by Bill Driver, and accompanied on the piano by Arthur, who taught the roles to all those on stage. Two memorable productions stand out, noted for their astonishing sophistication and dramatic intensity: Britten’s Peter Grimes, and Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. Gifted and armed with extensive knowledge and experience and known for his sardonic wit, Arthur never looked down upon the novice or aspiring student and was tireless in encouraging everyone to be ambitious and to defy the complacent expectations and authority of snobs.
A graduate of The Julliard School of Music, where he received his B.S. and M.S. degrees, Arthur was artist-in-resident at City College of New York, and taught at Trenton State University, SUNY Purchase, Stanford University, and Boston College, where he was assistant professor of voice. He was a longtime member of the Riverside Chamber Singers, and sang with the Abbey Singers, and the Waverly Consort. He was a founding member of the New York Pro Musica, a pioneering and historic venture in the modern history of early music performance. Arthur’s range as an artist was formidable and extended from music from the Medieval period to the modernism of the 20th century. He was a guest performer with the New York Philharmonic, Joffrey Ballet, New York Renaissance Band, Robert Shaw Chorale, and Chautauqua Opera company.
On behalf of the College, I extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Ronnie, his daughters, Alison ‘98 and Amanda ‘97, both Bard graduates, and his three granddaughters, Ella, Laurelai, and Audrey. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 13th at 2pm. at Saint Luke’s Church in Darien, CT.
Post Date: 08-21-2023
It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the passing of longtime faculty member and friend Arthur Burrows. Arthur joined the Bard faculty in 1980 as Visiting Assistant Professor of Drama and taught here for more than 30 years, retiring as Associate Professor of Music in 2012.
Arthur Burrows was more than a fine and distinguished vocal artist and teacher of voice, opera and theater. His musical skills were astounding. Together with William Driver, the longtime head of Drama and Dance at Bard, Arthur mounted full length staged performances of operas in the 1980s with student actors—not younger pre-professional students of the voice—directed by Bill Driver, and accompanied on the piano by Arthur, who taught the roles to all those on stage. Two memorable productions stand out, noted for their astonishing sophistication and dramatic intensity: Britten’s Peter Grimes, and Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. Gifted and armed with extensive knowledge and experience and known for his sardonic wit, Arthur never looked down upon the novice or aspiring student and was tireless in encouraging everyone to be ambitious and to defy the complacent expectations and authority of snobs.
A graduate of The Julliard School of Music, where he received his B.S. and M.S. degrees, Arthur was artist-in-resident at City College of New York, and taught at Trenton State University, SUNY Purchase, Stanford University, and Boston College, where he was assistant professor of voice. He was a longtime member of the Riverside Chamber Singers, and sang with the Abbey Singers, and the Waverly Consort. He was a founding member of the New York Pro Musica, a pioneering and historic venture in the modern history of early music performance. Arthur’s range as an artist was formidable and extended from music from the Medieval period to the modernism of the 20th century. He was a guest performer with the New York Philharmonic, Joffrey Ballet, New York Renaissance Band, Robert Shaw Chorale, and Chautauqua Opera company.
On behalf of the College, I extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Ronnie, his daughters, Alison ‘98 and Amanda ‘97, both Bard graduates, and his three granddaughters, Ella, Laurelai, and Audrey. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 13th at 2pm. at Saint Luke’s Church in Darien, CT.
Post Date: 08-21-2023