Robert Posten

1945 - 2020

Robert Posten
1/24/1945 - 06/10/2020
Robert Wayne Posten died on June 10,2020 at his home in Arnold MD after a long illness. Known in early years as Bob and later as Rip, he was born Jan.24, 1945 in Scranton to Grace Plunkett Posten King and grew up in E. Stroudsburg. At age 7 he began playing the trombone. Robert graduated from E. Stroudsburg HS, where he is now installed in the Music Hall of Fame. He attended Lafayette College and graduated in 1967 from Lebanon Valley College. From 1967 to 1972 he served in the US Naval Academy Band as a bass trombonist.
In 1972 Robert co-founded the Annapolis Brass Quintet, the US's first full-time brass chamber ensemble. During its 22-year career the Quintet performed thousands of concerts in all 50 states and around the world, earning international acclaim for its dedication to excellence in brass chamber music. The ABQ performed with many European radio orchestras and at countless festivals. In the 1980's the Quintet made multiple State Dept. tours of Asia, India and Africa as ambassadors of American music.
In 1980 the ABQ created the International Brass Quintet Festival in Baltimore, an annual month-long festival for brass chamber music, presenting over 200 free public concerts and workshops for brass players of all levels, & in 1989 they made history by arranging the first meeting & joint performance of the East Berlin & West Berlin brass quintets, 3 months before the fall of the Berlin Wall. At the Quintet's retirement in 1993 MD Senator Barbara Mikulski hailed the Quintet's accomplishments, saying they had "achieved a truly high standard of artistic excellence and, together, represent what is best in American music." Through almost 100 commissioned work, thousands of workshops, festivals & classes the ABQ influenced the next generations of brass players & established brass chamber music as a serious genre on the international stage.
In addition to his reputation as a consummate musician, Robert was known as a tennis player, world traveler and self-taught sailor, craftsman & scholar. He is survived by his wife Ellen Bungay-Posten, his daughter Anne Posten and son-in-law Christoph Roeber of Berlin Germany, and his sister Maude Parry of Ebro FL. In his memory donations can be made to the Chesapeake Youth Symphony or your preferred arts organization. A celebration of his life will be held later. For information and condolences please visit https://www.brassquintetforum.com/robert-rip-posten-tribute.html.
Simplicity Cremation
244 8th Ave, Glen Burnie MD 21061