ROBERT EDWARD GATES "ED"
September 5, 1943 to November 27, 2024
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Ed's Obituary

Dr. Robert Edward “Ed” Gates, pianist, teacher, chamber musician, friend and inspiration to all, was born on September 5, 1943 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and died peacefully in Oklahoma City, OK on November 27, 2024 after an extended battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

 Ed began piano studies at the age of 4 with Ronald Shirey and rapidly gained recognition as a talented pianist.  He gave his first solo recital at age 13 and accompanied several groups in high school. At age 18 he performed at the Music Teachers’ National Association Convention in Philadelphia.

Dr. Gates attended Oberlin College where he studied with Freeman Koberstein and John Elvin and spent his junior year in Salzburg, Austria. His Masters’ and Doctoral Degrees in Piano Performance are from Indiana University where he studied with Sydney Foster, Walter Robert and György Sebók. In 1971 he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Kunsthistorishe Museum in Vienna which houses one of the best collections of historical keyboard instruments in Europe. Dr. Gates was a veteran of the United States Army, serving in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1973 and received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service. 

 He joined the piano faculty at the University of Oklahoma in 1972 where he taught solo piano performance and coached chamber music until his retirement in 2010. He made immeasurable contributions serving the university tirelessly as teacher, advisor, mentor, solo pianist, chamber musician and coordinator of applied music studies. He taught hundreds of piano students, many of whom have won honors and national competitions and are successfully established in the professional world. He has presented master classes and lectures to music teachers throughout the U.S. and in China. He was noted for his presentations on Chopin's compositional notation. He was an authority on the Haydn and Beethoven sonatas and presented on a wide range of topics, including piano repertoire and technique. Dr. Gates’ piano adaptations of the Brahms 51 Exercises helped many advanced students strengthen their technical skills.

 Shortly after beginning at OU, Dr. Gates performed the Mozart Piano Concerto K595 with the Oklahoma City Symphony under Guy Fraser Harrison. He was a member of the Oklahoma Piano Trio and presented solo recitals in Beijing, China, Taiwan and throughout the United States. After his 1983 Carnegie Hall debut in New York City he was hailed by The New York Times as “a splendid pianist”.

At the University of Oklahoma Gates received numerous teaching awards including the Rothbaum Presidential Professor of Excellence in the Arts and the Regents’ Award for Superior Teaching.

In 2004 he was awarded the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association Distinguished Teacher of the Year. He was honored by the Music Teachers National Association as an MTNA Foundation Fellow in 2012. Many of his students have won OMTA and MTNA competitions. He presented many master classes and pedagogy sessions at state conferences. In 2023 he was recognized by OMTA and MTNA for his 50 years of teaching. 

Dr. Gates was revered for his patient, unassuming and affirming style of teaching, and his pianistic expression. His kindness and love for his students have left a legacy of teaching that reaches to the following generations of piano teachers. His integrity, positive outlook, and commitment to his colleagues and students serve as a role model for those in the profession. He was always willing to join fellow professors in educational endeavors, enlightening and brightening the perspectives of all participating. Dr. Gates will be dearly missed. 

He is preceded in death by his parents George Hamlin Gates and Dorothy Bradshaw Gates and his older brother George. He is survived by his spouse, Craig Rinker, as well as countless friends and former students.

 A Memorial Tribute Recital at OU to celebrate his life will be announced in the next few months.

Memorial gifts may be sent citing the “Edward Gates Music Endowment Fund”.

Checks to “OU Foundation, Inc.” may be mailed directly to

The University of Oklahoma Foundation

P.O. Box 258856

OKC, OK 73125-8856

or donate online at OUfoundation.org

Online condolences may also be shared at

“Dr. Ed Gates Memories Group” on Facebook.