Remembering Robert Routch

On August 5, 2024, CMS lost one of the most accomplished and active artists in its history, French horn player Robert Routch.

A multi-talented musician, Routch regularly appeared with CMS in New York and on tour. His performances for CMS included virtually the entire chamber repertoire for the horn, and he shared CMS horn appearances with the legendary Australian horn virtuoso Barry Tuckwell. First appearing under the artistic directorship of Charles Wadsworth in 1973, Routch’s presence at CMS continued unabated through 1999-2000 season. Routch’s colleagues presently performing for CMS include violinists Ida and Ani Kavafian, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist and Co-Artistic Director David Finckel, bassist Edgar Meyer, and clarinetist David Shifrin.

A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and The Juilliard School, Robert Routch began his career as the principal horn player in the American Symphony Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony. He later toured internationally as a soloist with dozens of orchestras and appeared as a guest artist with the Guarneri, Juilliard, Tokyo, Orion and Emerson Quartets. He was also a frequent collaborator with Peter Serkin and TASHI.

Mr. Routch was also an accomplished jazz musician who played with the Charles Mingus Orchestra, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and with such prominent artists as Quincy Jones, Gerry Mulligan, and Wynton Marsalis. He served on the faculty of SUNY Purchase, San Diego State University, California Institute of the Arts, the Hartt School of Music, and the Manhattan School of Music.