Eugene Rittich was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 musician who taught horn

Horn (instrument)

The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....

, chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

, conducting

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 and ensemble

Musical ensemble

A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 master classes and seminars for over 30 years in Canada, the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. In addition to his seminars, Rittich's services as advisor, adjudicator and jury member for Arts Councils, Universities, Music Festivals, and Competitions throughout Canada and the U.S. had helped him to guide many young players into distinguished professional careers around the world. Eugene Rittich's long association with the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra

Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra

The Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra is a high-level orchestral training programme for musicians aged 22 and under, based in Toronto, Canada. TSYO alumni are found in most major performing organization in Canada, and many have embarked on solo and chamber music careers worldwide...

, the National Youth Orchestra

National Youth Orchestra

The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is an orchestra of 163 young musicians from the United Kingdom. The members of the orchestra are all aged between 13 and 19 years. The players are selected by auditions which take place in the autumn each year at various locations in the country...

 and the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 was honored twice by the International Horn Society

International Horn Society

The International Horn Society is the primary international organization dedicated to players of the horn. It was founded in June 1970.It holds a symposium each year and publishes a journal, The Horn Call.-Formation:...

 in awarding him their Punto Award "in recognition of distinguished contributions and service to the art of horn playing". Rittich designed a mute, which is today the basis for most modern horn mutes. The Rittich mute is described as having a colorful sound and very even response throughout the entire range of the horn, in contrast with earilier mutes which tended to be stuffy in the low range. Before retiring in 1989 from his position as a Principal French Horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:The TSO was founded in 1922 as the New Symphony Orchestra, and gave its first concert at Massey Hall in April 1923. The orchestra changed its name to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927. The TSO...

, Rittich had gained prominence as one of Canada's most distinguished horn players and teachers, giving performances and producing recordings with many of the world's great conductors and soloists. Numerous tours in Europe, Asia, and North America highlighted his 37 year playing career.

Rittich died in Toronto after a lengthy battle with Cancer in Princess Margaret Hospital.