Calvin Y. Rogers
November 22, 1922 – November 3, 2012
ASO Music Director and Conductor 1979-1981
Calvin “Cal” Rogers was born in Pittsburgh, the son of Joseph A. and Marie Younkins Rogers, who instilled in him a love of music that began with his first violin lessons at 5 years old and lasted through his final teaching days at 86 years old.
Graduating from Oberlin College in 1943, he served in World War II in the US Army Specialist Training Corps. His company liberated the survivors of the Nazi death camp in Gunskirchen, Germany in 1945, to which he returned 50 years later with his surviving company members to commemorate that life-changing event.
Calvin married his college sweetheart, Helen Noxon, in 1946. He enrolled in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and earned a master’s degree in violin performance. He then came to Ashland and served 35 years at Ashland College as a professor of music, chair of the music department, and director of the fine arts division.
From his first biography as Ashland Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Conductor 1979-1981:
Calvin Y. Rogers begins his first season as conductor and musical director of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra. He is well known to local audiences, both for his frequent performances as soloist and guest conductor and for his position as concertmaster of the orchestra.
Rogers has been a member of the Ashland College faculty for more than 30 years and during that time has served as director of the Division of Communicative Arts and as chairman of the Department of Music, a position which he currently holds.
An accomplished violinist, Rogers has for the last few years been the concertmaster of the Lakeside Summer Symphony Orchestra, with whom he also has appeared as a guest soloist. In addition, he has been associated with the Akron Symphony Orchestra since 1946 as violinist, concertmaster, and associate conductor.
Rogers also is well recognized for his work with choral groups. He is director of the Ashland College Choir, which has had several successful European tours, and he was recently appointed director of the Mansfield Symphony Chorus.
He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda national honorary fraternity and his biography has appeared in the “International Who’s Who in Music”. He has served the Ohio Music Education Association in a leadership capacity since 1954 and was presented with that association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1975.
In 1984, he and Helen retired to Colorado Springs and in 2009, moved to Sacramento, CA, to be close to family.
Cal and Helen had three daughters, Sally, Suzy, and Debby, and at the time of his death, had seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
This biography was printed in the January 25, 2020, ASO concert program.