Sophie Ginn Paster (1933 - 2009)
Professor of Voice, died Wednesday, July 1, 2009 in Ohio. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, daughter of the late Stanley and Lillian (Piwowarczyk) Ginn, was a graduate of Holyoke High School and continued her education at Julliard School of Music, where she received her BS and MS Degrees. She studied voice with Edith Piper, Eleanor Steber, William Vennard, and Jennie Tourel. She continued her advanced studies in Opera and Stage Directing in Graz and Vienna, Austria. She was a member of the New York City Opera, the Oakdale Musical Theater in Connecticut, Lake Erie Opera (Cleveland Orchestra), as well as Soloist with the Meadowbrook Festival under Robert Shaw, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, and Baldwin-Wallace Bach and Focus Festivals. She concertized nationally and in Austria. She performed thirteen major operatic roles and affiliated with many composers. Ms. Ginn-Paster taught at Bowling Green State University and North Texas State University before she decided to settle in Strongsville, OH where she became Professor of Music at Baldwin-Wallace College. She celebrated 40 years of remarkable achievements with Baldwin-Wallace in June 2009 when she received many honors and awards for her outstanding performances and dedication in her teachings. She was selected for inclusion in the 11th edition of Who's Who among America's Teachers, honoring a select 5% of our nation's teachers. Many of her former students have gone on to sing with major Opera companies, on Broadway, and National TV, as well as following in Sophie's footsteps and becoming teachers of music themselves. Sophie was predeceased by her husband Paul Paster (1932-1989), and her beloved son Paul Paster, Jr. (Kiki) (1955-1985). She leaves a dear AuntTeofila L. Rec (Tonie) and beloved cousin Cynthia L. Rec of Plainville, CT, her Aunt Olga Rochon and cousin Denise Rochon of Springfield, MA, Linda Rec and her sons Jonathan and Christopher Rec of Manchester, CT, Rachel Paster of New York City, NY and her extended family members, along with numerous other relatives, besides her family, Sophie leaves behind many dear friends and colleagues. Ms. Ginn Paster traveled extensively, wherever there was Opera there was Sophie. Music was her life and she gave her life to music, she will be dearly missed by many. A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday at 10:00 a.m. in Mater Dolorosa Church in Holyoke, MA. Burial will follow in Mater Dolorosa Cemetery, South Hadley. A Memorial service will be held at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio at a date to be announced in the fall. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society , 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701. The Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Richard Miller (1926-2009)
Oberlin is deeply saddened to report the death of Professor Emeritus of Voice, Richard Miller. Richard died Tuesday, May 5, 2009.

It is impossible to capture in words the significance of Richard's contribution to the field of music as an artist, teacher, and mentor; it was utterly extraordinary. After 42 years of advancing the art of teaching and the name of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Richard retired at the end of the 2005-06 academic year. His students have continually occupied the great performance stages of the world and have transmitted his passion for music to audiences and students alike. His innovative approach to teaching has been well documented through his prodigious output as a scholar and his methods have shaped the curricula of private teachers and conservatories throughout the world.

An adjunct staff member in the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Otolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery Department, an associate of Collegium Medicorum Theatri, and a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing, Richard was a frequent adjudicator for vocal performance competitions around the world. He wrote eight books on the subject of singing and more than 100 articles on voice pedagogy research and performance. He also edited song collections of Franz Liszt and Max Reger.

Richard founded Oberlin's Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center, an acoustic laboratory that measures vocal production and provides visual and auditory feedback to the singer. The center was the first of its kind to be based within a music school.

He was honored many times for his contributions to the profession. He won the Voice Foundation of America's Voice Education Research and Awareness Award in 2006, the New York Singing Teachers Association's Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2002, and was honored with the French Ministry of Culture's Chevalier/Officier, L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1990.

Richard was an avid painter, gardener, and pianist, and vigorously pursued his work following his retirement from Oberlin. He will be greatly missed by all of us.