Dr. Robert Ritsema, a 1957 Hope graduate who was a member of the college鈥檚 music faculty for 32 years before retiring in 1999, died on Monday, April 21, 2025. He was 89.
Ritsema, who was a cellist, joined the faculty in 1967 and was the longtime conductor
of the college鈥檚 Orchestra and the Symphonette, the latter a smaller touring ensemble
that traveled throughout the United States as well as abroad. He helped establish
the college鈥檚 annual Musical Showcase concert, which began in 1989 and features all
of the Department of Music鈥檚 major ensembles as well as smaller ensembles and soloists.
He served on many of the college鈥檚 boards and committees, and for 16 years was an
MIAA faculty representative.
As a cellist, he was most accustomed to performing the classical repertoire, although in March 1994 he was part of a 60-piece orchestra that accompanied the Moody Blues during the group鈥檚 performance at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was also a longtime member of the Early Music Ensemble of Grand Rapids, which specializes in performing music of the 12th-17th centuries and provided him an opportunity to play instruments such as the recorder, the krumhorn and the sackbut (a predecessor of the trombone).
In addition to his teaching and conducting at the college, Ritsema conducted the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra for many years. He was active with music organizations at the local, state and national levels, and was a past-president of the National School Orchestra Association and of the Michigan unit of the American String Teachers Association, the latter of which named him the state鈥檚 1994 鈥淪tring Teacher of the Year.鈥�
Hope鈥檚 Alumni Association presented him with a Meritorious Service Award during the college鈥檚 11th annual Musical Showcase on March 15, 1999. On Aug. 31, 2017, he was one of three retired music faculty 鈥� along with Joan Conway and Roger Rietberg 鈥� featured as 鈥渓iving legends鈥� in a panel discussion during the Department of Music鈥檚 annual opening convocation. He and Conway, a professor emerita of music and pianist, also performed Sergei Rachmaninoff鈥檚 鈥淰ocalise鈥� during the 2017 event.
Before teaching at Hope, Ritsema was a cello professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He also taught in the Portage, Michigan, public schools for five years, directing the orchestras and coaching ninth grade basketball.
He majored in music at Hope, where his activities had included being a founding student member of the Symphonette in 1953; and the men鈥檚 basketball team, of which he was captain during his senior year. He held a master鈥檚 and doctorate in music from the University of Michigan.
Survivors include his wife, MaryAlice Ferguson 鈥�57 Ritsema; their four children, Julie Ritsema 鈥�84 Hedges, Ray Ritsema 鈥�89, Mark Ritsema 鈥�91 and Kyle Ritsema 鈥�93; and grandchildren.
Additional information regarding visitation and services will be shared as it becomes available.