Joseph Wilson Baber Jr.

1937 - 2022

Joseph Wilson Baber, Jr.
September 11, 1937 - March 19, 2022
Lexington, Kentucky - Joseph Wilson Baber, Jr., 84, celebrated composer, beloved father, brother, grandfather, teacher, and expert crossword puzzler, died Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Lexington, KY. Born September 11, 1937, in Richmond, VA to Joseph Wilson Baber, Sr. and Clara Elizabeth Poindexter Baber (later Lipps), Joseph was a viola prodigy who began composing early in life. For the past five decades he served as composer-in-residence at the University of Kentucky before retiring in 2021, and he touched the lives of countless music students with his ebullient teaching style. He taught from a composer's point of view, bringing musical scores alive with his penetrating insights, comprehensive knowledge, and joyful passion for the music. He received degrees from Michigan State University and the Eastman School of Music. After several years in Japan as principal violist with the Tokyo Philharmonic in the late 1960s, he returned to the United States and became composer-in-residence at the University of Kentucky in 1971 and served as principal violist of the Lexington Philharmonic. As a composer, he is best known for his collaborations with the novelist John Gardner on three operas: Frankenstein, Rumpelstiltskin, and Samson and the Witch. His major work on the Civil War, An American Requiem, has been performed numerous times. He leaves behind a sizable body of orchestral music, as well as many works for voice and choir, which reflect his deep knowledge and appreciation for poetry and the written word. His first wife, violinist Kazu-e Nohmi Baber, died in 1972. He later married soprano Melissa Kelley with whom he raised three daughters, and for whom he composed many of his popular song cycles. Joseph is preceded in death by his sister Barbara A. Sykes and brother Bernard L. Baber (Kay). Surviving family includes two siblings: Norman J. Lipps (Robin) and Edith E. Lipps (Robert Grosz); three daughters: Elizabeth Baber (Charles) Weaver, Sylvia Baber, and Ann Claire Baber (Christopher) Claus; and four grandchildren: John, Michael, Rosie, and Patrick Weaver.Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 24, 5:30 - 7:00pm, and a funeral service Friday, March 25th, 9:00am, both at St. Michael's Church in Lexington. Burial will directly follow at the Lexington Cemetery.