Shepherd School’s Rachleff inducted into American Classical Music Hall of Fame

For his life’s work of encouraging and nurturing musicians, Larry Rachleff, the Walter Kris Hubert Professor of Orchestral Conducting, has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame (ACMHF).

Larry Rachleff, Rice’s Walter Kris Hubert Professor of Orchestral Conducting and ACMHF inductee, was recognized at the Oct. 5 orchestra concert by Marie Speziale, a board member for the ACMHF and a Rice professor emerita of trumpet. Photo by Tommy LaVergne.

He was recognized at the Oct. 5 orchestra concert by Marie Speziale, a board member for the ACMHF and a Rice professor emerita of trumpet.

“The Hall of Fame recognizes the great artists, educators, ensembles and institutions that have helped shape the landscape of American music, and in so doing, nurture current and future classical music enthusiasts,” Speziale said prior to presenting Rachleff with a medallion and certificate to commemorate his induction. “Tonight we are pleased to honor Larry Rachleff with induction into the ACMHF in the category of educator. As a highly accomplished conductor and music educator, he has encouraged and inspired hundreds of musicians around the world. The tremendous success of the orchestral program here at the Shepherd School is a testament to his hard work and unwavering dedication to classical music.”

Dean Robert Yekovich and Marie Speziale. Photo by Tommy LaVergne.

In her remarks, Speziale also referenced the many great Shepherd School alums and former students of Rachleff who currently work in classical music and credit Rachleff for his extraordinary guidance throughout their education.

Rachleff is one of six honorees inducted this year. Founded in 1996, the American Classical Music Hall of Fame seeks to build and sustain enthusiasm for classical music in America by celebrating the extraordinary individuals and organizations that define classical music excellence. It currently includes more than 100 inductees, with a new class selected each year. It has honored such notable musicians as Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, John Philip Sousa, Itzak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma and many more. A full list of inductees is online at http://classicalwalkoffame.org/browse-inductees/.

Larry Rachleff, Rice’s Walter Kris Hubert Professor of Orchestral Conducting, addresses the concert audience following his induction into the ACMHF. Photo by Tommy LaVergne.

“I am honored to receive this wonderful award, especially from our dear friend and former colleague Marie Speziale,” Rachleff said. “Each of my colleagues at the Shepherd School is equally deserving, and I stand with them as I accept this honor. The support of the school’s administration and the extraordinary gifts of our highly select students have made possible all of our success.”

“Larry is unquestionably in elite company at the very top,” Shepherd School Dean Robert Yekovich said. “He’s one of the few educators who consistently for decades has successfully trained young orchestral musicians for a career in the world’s finest ensembles. The Shepherd School has had the unparalleled good fortune to have Larry at the helm of our orchestral program for more than a quarter century.”

Rachleff came to Rice in 1991 as music director of the Shepherd School Symphony and Chamber orchestras. In 2004 he was named the Walter Kris Hubert Professor of Orchestral Conducting. He recently completed 21 years as music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and formerly served as music director of the San Antonio Symphony.

He is a regular guest conductor and adviser for numerous performing ensembles and spends his summers guest conducting at the Music Academy of the West and the Aspen Music Festival and School. Rachleff is a former faculty member at the Oberlin Conservatory and also served as conductor of the opera theater at the University of Southern California. He has conducted and presented master classes all over the world, including the Chopin Academy in Warsaw, the Zurich Hochschule, the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland, Australia conservatories, the New England Conservatory and the Juilliard School.

Rachleff is an enthusiastic advocate of public school music education. He has conducted all-state orchestras and festivals in virtually every state in the United States as well as throughout Europe and Canada. He has also served as principal conducting teacher for the American Symphony Orchestra League, the Conductors’ Guild and the International Workshop for Conductors.

As a dedicated advocate of contemporary music, Rachleff has collaborated with such leading composers as Samuel Adler, Luciano Berio, William Bolcom, George Crumb, Michael Daugherty, John Harbison and the late Gunther Schuller.

Rachleff earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. He also has an honorary doctorate from Roger Williams University.

For more information on the ACMHF, visit http://classicalwalkoffame.org/.