Albert Gillis

Albert Gillis Albert Gillis died on Wednesday, May 27, in San Diego, CA at the age of 93. Gillis was born in New York City and grew up in nearby Rahway, NJ. He earned diplomas from the Juilliard School of Music and a Master of Music degree from Yale University where he studied viola with Paul Hindemith, the world-famous German composer, conductor, and teacher. Gillis had a long and distinguished career as a musician and teacher. He left an enduring, strong legacy at the University of Texas at Austin as a member of the music faculty for ten years, 1948 - 1958. Because of his creative genius as the first director and organizer of the University of Texas String Project, this program for innovative ways of training string students and teachers has been internationally recognized and replicated for more than 60 years. While at UT-Austin, Gillis founded The Texas String News , the first publication of its kind which was met with enthusiasm and excitement by string teachers and players alike. When the American String Teachers Association launched its periodic journal, its national board decided to model it after Gillis's publication and named it the Amerian String Teacher . Gillis was also active in forming the Texas Chapter of ASTA and became one of its early presidents. After leaving the University of Texas, he joined the celebrated Paganini String Quartet, well known through its many concert tours and recordings. Gillis served as professor of violin, viola, and chamber music at the University of California in Santa Barbara, San Jose State University, the University of California at San Diego-La Jolla, and California State University at Fresno. In 1976, Gillis and his friend, painter Kelly Fearing, particpated in the International Music and Art Workshop in Cambridge, England. They jointly delivered the Comparative Arts Lectures, enlivened by slides of works of art, tapes of music, live performances, and demonstrations showing the relationships (and differences) between music and the visual arts and emphasizing the technical and aesthetic principles shared by both fields. A similar presentation was made at the University of Exeter in England. At the age of 71, Gillis retired from academic life and moved to San Diego where he resided the rest of his life. Gillis leaves behind not only his closest personal and professional friend of 60 years, Kelly Fearing, a distinguished artist and the Ashbel Smith Professor Emeritus of Art at UT-Austin, but also hundreds of friends and musicians who have been greatly influenced and inspired by him, his talent, and his work. Contributions for a memorial fund in Gilis's name may be made payable to The University of Texas at Austin. Send to: The University of Texas at Austin, Butler School of Music: Albert Gillis Fund, 1 University Station, E3100. Austin, Tx. 78712-0435 For more information, contact Lauren Zachry-Reynolds at 512-232-8279.