1955 - 2026
Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Janice (Daugherty) Bachrach and Louis Fabian Bachrach Jr. Robert grew up in West Newton and attended Belmont Hill School, where he was active in the glee club, madrigal group, and varsity wrestling team.
He went on to attend Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he met the love of his life and wife of 48 years, Karen (Scholz) Bachrach. At Carleton, he studied music composition under composer Phillip Rhodes, one of his two primary mentors, along with Arthur Berger of Boston. Recognizing Robert’s musical talent, Rhodes encouraged him to earn his Bachelor of Arts in music composition. The two remained connected over the years, and in 1997 Robert was invited to present his music at a concert celebrating 70 years of Carleton composers.
After graduating, Robert joined the family business, Bachrach Inc., the acclaimed portrait studio founded in 1868 and considered one of the longest-operating photography studios in the world. As a fourth-generation photographer, he captured portraits of leaders in the arts, business, sports, and politics, including nearly every American president since Abraham Lincoln. Among those he personally photographed were Meryl Streep, Julia Child, George H.W. Bush, Pearl Bailey, Charles Addams, Mitt Romney, John Cage, and Riccardo Muti.
Following his retirement from photography, Robert enjoyed a brief but successful stint as one of New England’s top salesmen for Jos. A. Bank before returning to his lifelong passion for composing music full time.
Robert embraced life with curiosity and enthusiasm. He was an avid gardener, dedicated gym-goer, talented cook, reader, film enthusiast, rock musician, and painter. He loved his 31 years in Holliston, where he cared for his beloved cats and delighted in the wildlife that frequented his backyard. In later years, he joined the cover band Throwback, playing guitar and keyboards and lending his voice to performances.
He will be remembered as a loving husband, devoted father, doting grandfather, cherished sibling, and loyal friend. With his wide-ranging interests and quick, wicked sense of humor, he was a gifted conversationalist who connected easily with others.
In addition to his wife, Karen, Robert is survived by his children, Kristina Bachrach and her husband Aaron Basch of La Grange, Illinois, and Erik Bachrach and his wife Laura of Mendon, Massachusetts; his siblings, Pamela Bachrach and her husband David Giannini of Becket, Massachusetts; Gretchen Bachrach and her husband Fred Gevalt of Arlington, Massachusetts; and Louis Bachrach and his wife Carlin of Virginia Beach, Virginia; and his three grandchildren, Jamie and Abby Basch and Teddy Bachrach.
A private memorial gathering will be held later in the year.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Robert’s memory may be made to the Metrowest Humane Society at https://metrowesthumanesociety.org/donate/ or to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at http://dana-farber.org/gift.
