July 25, 2014—We are saddened to report the passing of John Hamilton, professor emeritus, on July 15, 2014 in Copenhagen.
A church service to remember Hamilton was held on Thursday at the Garnison's Church in Copenhagen—a beautiful church with an organ by the Danish builder Carsten Lund, a friend of Hamilton’s. His ashes will be buried at the Garnison Cemetery, which adjoins the rear side of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen.
Professor Hamilton taught organ, harpsichord, and music theory at the UO from 1959-1985. He received his BA degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1946 and MMus (’56) and DMA (’66) from the University of Southern California.
Born in a Colorado mining village and with his first musical studies on the Pacific Coast, Hamilton is a native of the American West. His early career as pianist culminated in scholarship study with the late Olga Samaroff-Stokowski in Philadelphia and New York.
While a professor at the University of Oregon, Hamilton divided his time between teaching at the university and his researches and concerts in Europe and the United States.