James A. Rago, 79, longtime timpanist of the Louisville Orchestra, died October 13, 2022. 

Jim was born in New York and grew up in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. He graduated from Lyndhurst High School and entered The Juilliard School of Music in 1961, on the advice of his high school friend Anthony Cirone. Jim studied with New York Philharmonic timpanist Saul Goodman and graduated with a master’s degree in 1967. 

Rago moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 1967, having been recruited by Jorge Mester, then conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. Jim performed as Principal Timpanist for the orchestra from 1967–2022. He was the longest-tenured current member of the orchestra, having performed for 55 years. He also performed regularly with the Kentucky Opera and Louisville Bach Society, and occasionally played jazz drum set gigs. In addition, Jim performed at the Aspen Music Festival for many years. 

He taught percussion students and led the percussion ensemble at the University of Louisville for 30 years.