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Randolph Early Coleman
1937 - 2025
Randolph Coleman Obituary
July 20, 1937 - April 24, 2025
Randolph Early Coleman (July 20, 1937- April 24, 2025) spent his final days surrounded by friends and family, and died peacefully in his sleep. Born in Charlottesville, VA, he studied first as a creative writing major at the University of Virginia, then completed his BM, MM and PhD in Music Composition and Theory at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. His education included encounters with William Faulkner at UVA and Aaron Copland at Tanglewood. Over his lifetime his prolific compositions were played by the Brooklyn Philharmonic, ODC San Francisco, the Baltimore Symphony, and Eighth Blackbird, among others. He received both a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation award. Randy taught generations of composers and musicians at Oberlin College Conservatory from 1965-2007, and his students have won Pulitzers, Grammys, MacArthur Genius awards, and Guggenheim fellowships, among other significant commissions and arts awards.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Rebecca Cross; his daughter, Rachael Leah Brehm, and her two sons, Clayton and Davis; his sons, Ian Christian Coleman (Anne Rose Kitagawa), and Schuyler Samuel Coleman; his brother, Henry Coleman (Leslie), and sister, Patricia Harding; his brothers-in-law, Tim Cross (Ute Hahmann), and Sean Cross (Kelly Cross); his ex-wife, Nancy Mathews; and by many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Emma Rose Coleman, and his brother, Clayton "Sonny" Coleman.
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