John E. Rogers *66

John Rogers, a pioneer in electronic music and professor emeritus of music at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), died April 6, 2016. He was 78.

Rogers earned bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and music from the University of Georgia, both in 1960. From Yale, he received a master’s degree in music composition in 1962, and in 1966 an MFA in music from Princeton. A prolific composer, his main teachers were Elliott Carter, Roger Sessions, and Milton Babbitt *92.

An early champion of electronic and computer music, in 1967 he established and became the director of UNH’s electronic and computer music studios. The current electronic music studio at UNH is named in his honor.

Rogers was chair of UNH’s music department for nine years. An accomplished trombonist, he played in the symphonies of New Haven, Hartford, and Portland. Rogers published extensively in his field and retired from UNH in 2005, after 35 years on the faculty.

Rogers was predeceased in 1993 by his first wife, Ada, a noted concert pianist and UNH music professor, after a 17-year struggle with early-onset Alzheimer’s. In her later years, he managed her care almost single-handedly. He is survived by his second wife, Linda; a stepson; two children; and seven grandchildren.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.