A. Clyde Roller (Archie Clyde Roller), musical professor and conductor, was born October 13, 1914 in Rogersville, Missouri and died October 16, 2005 in San Antonio, Texas.

Roller received his musical education at the Eastman School of Music, graduating in 1941. Roller was the principal oboist with several orchestras: Oklahoma City Symphony 1937-39, the Birmingham (Alabama) Symphony 1940-42, and the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra. He also conducted the Southern Methodist University Orchestra 1947-48.

Returning to Eastman in 1963, he was ensembles professor at Eastman. For Mercury Records in 1963, he conducted the Eastman Wind Ensemble in Vittorio Giannini's Symphony No. 3 and Alan Hovhaness's Symphony No. 4. Roller served in similar positions at the University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin (from which he retired in 1979), Southern Methodist University, Wisconsin at Madison, and Michigan. He was a conductor and faculty member teaching oboe at the Interlochen Center for the Arts 1951-2004. He was the resident conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, musical director and conductor of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra (Michigan) 1967-1978 and Amarillo Symphony 1948-1962. He also guest conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Roller and Arthur Fiedler also swapped conducting roles on occasion, with Fiedler taking the Amarillo Symphony and Roller conducting the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Awards

• Amarillo Globe-News Man of the Year, 1961
• Sigma Alpha Iota’s National Artist Affiliate Award, 1979
• Texas Orchestra Director of the Year, 1979
• Edwin Franko Goldman Memorial Citation, 1998
• Outstanding Educator of America Award

References

• In Memory of A. CLYDE ROLLER [1]
• Obituaries in the Amarillo Globe-News, October 18, 2005 and the Lansing State Journal, October 24, 2005 page 2D.
• Stoddard, , Hope. Symphony Conductors of the U.S.A. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1957.

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