(THE PICKET) – Jay Stenger, a former Shepherd University music professor emeritus and the founder of the University’s Masterworks Chorale, died on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 83, according to an email sent to employees Thursday morning.
An article published by the Herald Mail in 1997, which announced Stenger’s retirement from then Shepherd College, said that Stenger believed learning music was “an undeniable component of life.”
“(Stenger) grew up in a musical family. His father was a preacher, and the family moved several times during his youth,” the article said.
“Jay Stenger spent 15 summers as a professional singer, pianist, choir librarian and assistant choir director at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua Lake, New York. A tenor, he toured the United States with the acclaimed Robert Shaw Chorale for two years. He met his wife, Barbara, and says she put him through graduate school at State University of New York at Fredonia. He came to teach at Shepherd in 1969,” according to the article.
Stenger, who taught at Shepherd for 28 years, enjoyed “a rich and varied life in music,” according to the email sent to employees.
“His students praised his seemingly tireless supply of encouragement and high expectations of personal achievement. He and his singer and educator wife, Barbara, influenced many generations of artist-educators,” the email said.
A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. at the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church or Shepherd University Music Department.
Hayley Butler is a staff writer for The Picket. She can be reached at hbutle01@rams.shepherd.edu or followed on Twitter @haybutler.