Dr. Robert Ritsema, a 1957 Hope graduate who was a member of the college亚洲色吧檚 music faculty for 32 years before retiring in 1999, died on Monday, April 21, 2025. He was 89.
Ritsema, who was a cellist, joined the faculty in 1967 and was the longtime conductor
of the college亚洲色吧檚 Orchestra and the Symphonette, the latter a smaller touring ensemble
that traveled throughout the United States as well as abroad. He helped establish
the college亚洲色吧檚 annual Musical Showcase concert, which began in 1989 and features all
of the Department of Music亚洲色吧檚 major ensembles as well as smaller ensembles and soloists.
He served on many of the college亚洲色吧檚 boards and committees, and for 16 years was an
MIAA faculty representative.
As a cellist, he was most accustomed to performing the classical repertoire, although in March 1994 he was part of a 60-piece orchestra that accompanied the Moody Blues during the group亚洲色吧檚 performance at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was also a longtime member of the Early Music Ensemble of Grand Rapids, which specializes in performing music of the 12th-17th centuries and provided him an opportunity to play instruments such as the recorder, the krumhorn and the sackbut (a predecessor of the trombone).
In addition to his teaching and conducting at the college, Ritsema conducted the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra for many years. He was active with music organizations at the local, state and national levels, and was a past-president of the National School Orchestra Association and of the Michigan unit of the American String Teachers Association, the latter of which named him the state亚洲色吧檚 1994 亚洲色吧淪tring Teacher of the Year.亚洲色吧�
Hope亚洲色吧檚 Alumni Association presented him with a Meritorious Service Award during the college亚洲色吧檚 11th annual Musical Showcase on March 15, 1999. On Aug. 31, 2017, he was one of three retired music faculty 亚洲色吧� along with Joan Conway and Roger Rietberg 亚洲色吧� featured as 亚洲色吧渓iving legends亚洲色吧� in a panel discussion during the Department of Music亚洲色吧檚 annual opening convocation. He and Conway, a professor emerita of music and pianist, also performed Sergei Rachmaninoff亚洲色吧檚 亚洲色吧淰ocalise亚洲色吧� during the 2017 event.
Before teaching at Hope, Ritsema was a cello professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He also taught in the Portage, Michigan, public schools for five years, directing the orchestras and coaching ninth grade basketball.
He majored in music at Hope, where his activities had included being a founding student member of the Symphonette in 1953; and the men亚洲色吧檚 basketball team, of which he was captain during his senior year. He held a master亚洲色吧檚 and doctorate in music from the University of Michigan.
Survivors include his wife, MaryAlice Ferguson 亚洲色吧�57 Ritsema; their four children, Julie Ritsema 亚洲色吧�84 Hedges, Ray Ritsema 亚洲色吧�89, Mark Ritsema 亚洲色吧�91 and Kyle Ritsema 亚洲色吧�93; and grandchildren.
Additional information regarding visitation and services will be shared as it becomes available.