Duquesne Saddened by the Passing of Professor Emeritus David Stock

The University is mourning the passing of Professor Emeritus David Stock from the Mary Pappert School of Music, who died on Nov. 2. He was 76.

“David Stock was an extraordinary individual—an innovative and prolific composer with a worldwide influence, a passionate advocate for new music and a man who cultivated a lifelong commitment to diversifying the musical fabric of Pittsburgh,” said Dr. Seth Beckman, dean of the music school. “He will be sorely missed here in the Mary Pappert School of Music and in many other musical communities.”

A respected composer and conductor, Stock had been a member of the music faculty since 1990. In addition to teaching, he conducted the Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble. As a composer, his works include six symphonies, 10 string quartets, 12 concerti and various chamber solos, orchestral music and works for dance, theater, TV and films.

Most recently, Stock was featured as the guest composer of the first season of the music school’s Schubert on the Bluff concert series. “David Stock’s passing leaves a significant void in Pittsburgh’s musical life,” said David Allen Wehr, artistic director for the series. “For decades, he was a champion of contemporary music in all its varieties, and his impact on the next generation on composers, through his work as a professor of music at the School of Music, is profound.”

The next concert in Schubert on the Bluff, scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 10, will feature Stock’s Second Chamber Concerto, a piece commission by the series. “David completed the score several months ago and was very excited about hearing the unusual combination of two pianos, two percussionists and trumpet,” explained Wehr. “We will dedicate that concert and the season finale of the series on January 24 to David’s memory.”

Besides his work at Duquesne, Stock was a past composer-in-residence of the Pittsburgh Youth, Pittsburgh and Seattle symphonies. He was conductor laureate of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, which he founded in 1976, and was a past music director for the organization. Stock’s works have been performed across the United States, Europe and beyond. He appeared as a guest conductor with several renowned symphonies and groups, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, the New England Conservatory Contemporary Ensemble, the American Wind Symphony and Australia’s Seymour Group, among others.

Among his numerous awards and honors, Stock received fellowship grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts as well as a Guggenheim Fellowship.

“He was one of the most successful contemporary composers in writing music that fellow musicians respected, that challenged performers to new heights and that was embraced by audiences around the world,” said Wehr.