Obituary: Composer Bernard Rands, 92

On Thursday’s (3/5) Chicago Symphony Orchestra website, Frank Villella writes, “The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the passing of British American composer Bernard Rands, who died in Chicago on March 4, 2026, at the age of 92. Born in Sheffield in the north of England on March 2, 1934, Rands studied English literature and music in Bangor, Wales. He later concentrated on composition” with Pierre Boulez, Bruno Maderna, Luigi Dallapiccola, and Luciano Berio. “In June 1983, his song cycle ‘Canti del sole’ was given its world premiere with tenor Paul Sperry and the New York Philharmonic [led by] Zubin Mehta; the work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1984…. Rands was honored by the American Academy and Institute of the Arts and Letters; Broadcast Music, Inc.; the Guggenheim Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; Meet the Composer; and the Barlow, Fromm and Koussevitsky foundations … From 1989 until 1995, Rands was composer-in-residence with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and he also served in the same position for the Aspen and Tanglewood music festivals. He [served] on the faculties at the University of California, San Diego; the Juilliard School; Yale University; Boston University and Harvard University…. Rands is survived by his beloved wife, Augusta Read Thomas, who served as the CSO’s Mead Composer-in-Residence from 1997 until 2006.”