Robert Ray, founder of the St. Louis Symphony’s IN UNISON Chorus and the director from its inception in 1994 to 2010, has died.
Ray worked with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, as both St. Louis Symphony Chorus assistant, and later as IN UNISON director, for a total of 25 years.
St. Louis American’s classical music writer Chris King described Ray as “a legacy figure who defined and embodied the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s IN UNISON Chorus and its annual Gospel Christmas program” during his tenure.
Ray was a graduate of St. Louis Public Schools. He attended Northwestern University, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance.
For 12 years, he served as accompanist-coach for the string department at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. While there, he also organized the Black Student Chorus and prepared them for performances with such artists as Ossie Davis, Max Roach, James Cleveland, and Edwin Hawkins.
Ray has appeared as piano soloist with the Kirkwood Symphony, the Northwestern University Orchestra, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony, and the Seoul (Korea) Philharmonic. He was an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and directed their University Community Chorus.
SLSO President and CEO of Marie-Hélène Bernard upon hearing of Ray’s passing stated, “His masterful music filled many spaces, from local churches all the way to Carnegie Hall. Many of his compositions blended elements of music from the African diaspora with traditional classical forms, resulting in pieces with a singular voice. The SLSO and IN UNISON Chorus have performed selections from Dr. Ray’s Gospel Mass many times since its SLSO premiere in December 1996.”