Obituary: Music Professor Christopher Charles Roselli Dies At 55

By Katharine Baran

Christopher Charles Roselli, a well-established professor of music who worked with hundreds of students to achieve their goals on Broadway, passed away at the age of 55 years old on May 18, 2017.

Roselli was born in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to David and Frances Roselli. Unsure of what he wanted to do originally, after much deliberation he decided to study music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He then decided to go to Indiana University for his doctorate in music, where he studied with the world-renowned teacher Margaret Harshaw.

 

His career in the opera world spanned the stages at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Mr. Roselli performed in over 40 roles throughout the United States, while his concert engagements were through national and international companies in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, and Israel.

 

As well as performing, Mr. Roselli, as he was known by many of students, became an incredibly popular voice teacher. He taught at numerous colleges around the U.S., which included the Lee Strasberg Institute of Theatre and Film in their NYU Strasberg program; CAP21, where he was chair of voice and music; the New School’s Actors Studio Drama School, now known as the New School for Drama; and the Mannes School of Music.

In 2007, he earned the New School’s Distinguished University Teaching Award.  At the young age of 55, he is survived by his parents, David and Frances, as well as his sister and two brothers.

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