THSO to Honor ISU, Ramon Meyer, and Bob & Marilyn Billups at Brahms & Beach

The Terre Haute Symphony is pleased to honor Indiana State University, Ramon Meyer, Bob Billups, and Marilyn Billups at our Brahms & Beach concert for the energy and talent they’ve given in support of the THSO.

On November 6, 2021 the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra will be presenting a concert in Tilson Music Hall featuring the Brahms “Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra” among other works. Those of you with historical as well as musical interests will want to know that this work by Brahms has been presented by the THSO in a previous time. The date was February 7, 1979. Featured artists were Indiana State University music faculty member Robert Billups (violin) and his wife Marilyn (cello). Robert was concertmaster of the orchestra and Marilyn was principal cellist. The conductor was Ramon Meyer, ISU music faculty member, who was in his first season as conductor and music director of the THSO.

The orchestra at that time consisted of many ISU music faculty members, most in principal positions, along with advanced ISU music students as well as residents of the Terre Haute area. Inasmuch as the three principals in this 1979 performance were related to the university, we wish also to recognize the enormous contributions from the institution itself which nurtured the birth, development, and growth of the orchestra.

To commemorate this history, a fundraising effort will be undertaken to sponsor the November 6 concert. Bob & Marilyn Billups and Ray Meyer from the 1979 performance will be honored along with Indiana State University during the November 6 concert.

We would be grateful if you would consider donating to this sponsorship effort! Should you wish to contribute $100 or more, your name(s) will appear in the concert program. Please ensure contributions are confirmed online by November 1, 2021 to allow us time for program printing.

Those who wish to donate $500 to the sponsorship fund will receive two (2) complimentary tickets to the concert.

Thank you for your consideration and support of this momentous occasion!

Ramon Meyer

Ramon Meyer earned degrees in music from the University of Louisville, the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati, and The Florida State University.  His performance area was percussion, and along the way, he was Principal Percussionist with the Louisville Orchestra, played frequently with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, was Timpanist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and taught percussion at The Florida State University for fifteen years. 

While at FSU he studied conducting and composition with Ernst von Dohnányi, renowned Hungarian composer, pianist, and conductor of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.  He completed his Ph.D. majoring in Music Theory with a minor in Art History in the early 1960s and remained on the faculty teaching conducting, percussion, and music theory as well as conducting the men’s chorus, and serving as one of the conductors for music theater and opera productions.  

In the fall of 1971, Meyer accepted the position of Professor of Music at ISU.  Teaching responsibilities included conducting the select Chamber Choir, then called the University Singers, and teaching choral conducting, choral literature along with some minor administrative duties.  For many years he and his wife, Betty, shared responsibility as music directors of Memorial United Methodist Church.  After retiring from ISU he founded and conducted the Farrington Grove Chorale from 2002 until 2011.  The Chorale is now under the leadership of Dr. Mark Carlisle.  

In 1992 Dr. Meyer was selected as a National Arts Associate of Sigma Alpha Iota. In 2009-2010 he received the Bravo! The Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Meyer’s leadership with the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra began in 1978 when he was appointed Music Director and Conductor, a position he held for seventeen years.  There were six subscription concerts in that first season. One was a pop concert, one included the youth symphony playing along with the THSO, and one was the Goldovsky Grand Opera Theatre touring group.  The remaining three were standard orchestral programs.  The Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello featuring Robert and Marilyn Billups and including  Bach’s Third Suite in D and Kodaly’s Hary Janos Suite comprised one of those remaining concerts. During Dr. Meyer’s tenure as conductor, the orchestra grew and by the 1980s there were five full orchestra classical programs, three chamber orchestra programs,  three pops concerts,  two children’s concerts, and occasional programs in nearby communities. Over the years many nationally acclaimed artists performed with the orchestra as well as rising stars such as violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Emanuel Axe.  

Bob and Marilyn Billups were more than colleagues at the university and in the orchestra—the four of us raised our children together, traveled together, camped together, went to church together.  They were and remain cherished friends.  They can tell you about the challenges and rewards of the Brahms.  My job was to make each soloist as comfortable with the orchestra as I could, letting the music of Brahms speak, but the baton makes no sound while moving through the air.

Dr. Robert Billups

Bob began his violin studies at an early age with Dr. Harrison Ferrell, an endlessly gifted teacher, musician, and father figure who gave all his positive power to his students and in my case a lasting lifetime. Billups attended the College-Conservatory of Music where he earned his Master of Music Degree in violin performance, and from there on to the University of Illinois and then to the University of Arizona where he completed his doctorate. During his faculty tenure at Indiana State University, he was concertmaster of the THSO, conductor of the university orchestra, served as president of the Indiana chapter of the American String Teachers Association, and was a member of Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society. Invited to take a position at the University of Idaho where he was widely sought after to conduct music festivals throughout the Northwest. He was a consultant and clinician for the William E. Lewis and Son string instrument company and was a presenter at state and national professional meetings. While serving as Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Arizona he was conductor of the Arizona Symphony and the Arizona Opera Theater.  

As a performer Bob was featured as a soloist with several chamber orchestras, was concertmaster of the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra and the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra in addition to many solo recitals and chamber music appearances. He, his wife Marilyn, and pianist Richard Nehr were chosen as first alternates in a national search for a piano trio for a USIA state department tour of South America.  

Marilyn (left) and Bob (right) Billups.

Bob had to take early retirement from the University of Arizona as a result of the late onset of symptoms from polio he endured as a child. Still able to play for short periods, he and Marilyn were fortunate to perform with the Aracelli Quartet for ten years. A lovely opportunity to taper away from playing in the early transition to retirement.  

Our years at ISU and the THSO were the most memorable of our performing lives. Working with Raymon Meyer from 1977 until 1988 was gratifying, to say the least. Participating at some level in the growth in musical maturity, repertoire, and community offerings is the ultimate in what any performer can hope for. Congratulations to all who have had a part in this journey.

Marilyn Billups

Marilyn is a master performer, inspired teacher, and enthusiastic pied piper to all who know her. As a child, she began her cello studies in San Francisco. Upon moving with her parents to Columbus, Ohio she, fortunately, was able to obtain a place in the studio of Gordon Epperson, an internationally known cello pedagog. Her years with Epperson were exceedingly productive and at the age of twenty, she accepted a position with the full-time professional Quebec Symphony Orchestra, this while promising herself and Epperson that someday they would pick up where they left off. While there she taught at the Quebec Conservatory and spent summers teaching at the Empire State Music Camp in the Catskill Mountains; not a bad life for a young woman. She returned home during a winter break where she and Bob met and were married a year later. It wasn't until 1983 during Bob's sabbatical that she fulfilled the promise to herself and Epperson and completed a Master of Music degree with him.  

She is a consummate orchestral player and chamber musician. Always ready for an audition, she was accepted to positions with the Erie Philharmonic under the direction of Walter Hendel, of course, the THSO with Raymon Meyer, the Spokane Symphony with Fabio Machetti, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra under Bill McLaughlin, the Arizona Opera Orchestra, and the Tucson Pops Orchestra. In addition, she and Bob played endlessly with string quartets and piano trios, and music festivals throughout their musical journeys together. They are avid outdoors people and often used their motor-home as temporary lodging. While performing in a festival in Montana they located at a remote campground next to Glacier National Park on the Flathead River. The evening of a festival concert they would emerge in concert dress, cello and violin in hand, get in the car and drive off. One could only imagine the looks on other camper's faces when they saw this odd couple in this unlikely place.  

Her curiosity and enthusiasm often led her to other musical worlds. One memorable performance was at ISU where, with faculty, she participated in the performance of Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale, scored for flute, cello, and altered piano) by George Crumb. It was performed complete with masks and blue lighting and was truly magical.  

As a teacher Marilyn is gifted. Many of her students went on to become professionals. The most notable is the bassist Brian Powell, now a faculty member at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She inspired him for a period and then arranged for him to play for the renowned bassist/teacher Lawrence Hurst at Indiana University. The rest is history. 

Marilyn joins her husband Bob in deepest gratitude to Dr. Robert Cowden for this celebration and recognition.