OBITUARY: Rudolph Bubalo (1927-2004)
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Composer Rudolph Bubalo died on January 24, 2004. Starting off his career as a jazz pianist, the Duluth-born Bubalo eventually settled in Cleveland where he served for many years as a professor of music and the director of the electronic/computer music studios at Cleveland State University. A leading figure in electro-acoustical and computer music, he created several important works for orchestra and electronic sounds combining serial techniques with an acute awareness of timbre. In 1976, the American Symphony Orchestra premiered Bubalo’s Spaceship for orchestra and electronics at Carnegie Hall. The work was subsequently performed by the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Lorin Maazel. Bubalo’s music has been actively championed by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony under the direction of Edwin London, who have recorded an all-Bubalo CD for New World Records that was released in 1997. At the time of his death, Mr. Bubalo was professor emeritus at Cleveland State University and a long time member of the American Music Center.
On March 10, 2004, Edwin London and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony will present a memorial concert for Rudolph Bubalo featuring several of his compositions.
For a more detailed account of Bubalo’s life and work, please read Donald Rosenberg‘s obituary in the Cleveland Plain Dealer