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Bob Scholz

1939–2021

Robert Victor Scholz, Professor Emeritus of Music choral conducting, and choral literature. He was an
at St. Olaf College, died Sunday, February 21, 2021, integral member of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival
at age eighty-one of Parkinson’s Disease in Northfi eld, Artistic Committee. He was also a prolifi c composer
MN. Dr. Scholz was born on November 19, 1939, and arranger, and many of his works continue to be
in Chicago, Illinois. Robert began piano lessons as a performed both at St. Olaf and around the country.
child, adding organ lessons in high school. He attend- Anton Armstrong, conductor of the St. Olaf Choir,
ed Lutheran parochial schools until he moved to Min- called Robert Scholz his “musical godfather.” “When
nesota to begin his collegiate studies at St. Olaf Col- I returned to St. Olaf in 1990 as faculty member in the
lege. While at St. Olaf, he was a tenor in the St. Olaf Music Department, Bob was always a supportive col-
Choir under Olaf Christiansen and earned a bachelor league and friend. He was perhaps the most ‘pastoral’
of arts magna cum laude with a music education ma- musical colleague I’ve been blessed to know in my thir-
jor in 1961. Later he received his MM and DMA in ty-one years at St. Olaf College. Bob was a model of
choral conducting from the University of Illinois, Ur- the scholar/teacher/conductor who was the exempla-
bana-Champaign. ry servant-leader as he nurtured thousands of students
Upon his appointment to St. Olaf College in 1968, who had the privilege and joy of singing with him.”
he led the Viking Chorus, the first-year TTBB en- Robert Scholz retired in 2005 after teaching at St.

semble, and the St. Olaf Chapel Choir. As conduc- Olaf for thirty-seven years. He is survived by Cora,
tor of the Chapel Choir in collaboration with the his wife of fi fty-six years; his fi ve children: Miriam
St. Olaf Orchestra, he led performances of some of Scholz-Carlson, Maria Boda (Stephan), David Scholz
the most respected of the choral-orchestral works of (Dara), Wendy Scholz, and Carol Smith (David); and
the Western canon. Robert also taught voice lessons, seven grandchildren.

68 CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2021 Volume 61 Number 11