Concert honors late professor at music school

Concert honors late professor at music school

The Shepherd School of Music will celebrate the life and memory of Raphael Fliegel at a concert Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the music school’s Stude Concert Hall.

The professor emeritus of violin died this summer at the age of 86.

He was one of the founding members of the Shepherd School of Music and a violinist with the Houston Symphony Orchestra for more than 50 years.

A musician from the time he was a boy, Fliegel’s talent earned him the title “Bayou City Prodigy.” As a young man, he was named — sans audition — a member of the Houston Symphony Orchestra.

He performed with the Houston Symphony for 55 years and was concertmaster for 25 years.

Fliegel joined the Shepherd School faculty in 1975 at the invitation of founding dean Samuel Jones, teaching violin to promising young violinists and orchestra repertoire to all string students for the next 30 years. He also taught an independent study course to prepare students for professional auditions that led several to careers with major orchestras.

Fliegel became professor emeritus of violin in 1989 but continued to be an active member of the Shepherd School, as well as of the Houston Symphony, from which he retired in 1995.

Also in his memory, the Raphael Fliegel Violin Scholarship has been established at Rice.