Bruce Rouse, co-founder of Rouse House Concerts, and a former Folk Alliance board member died unexpectedly on February 26, 2005. News of Bruce’s death reached many at the Folk Alliance Conference in Montréal and provoked widespread mourning among his many friends at the conference.

Bruce was an avid supporter of the Folk Alliance. He attended every annual conference from the 1997 meeting in Toronto through the 2004 meeting in San Diego. He served as a judge for the 2004 official showcases in the singer/songwriter category and led peer group sessions for house concert presenters.

As a member of the Folk Alliance Board of Directors from 2000 to 2003, Bruce advocated for the interests of house concert promoters and those of the artists that meant so much to him. He was a dedicated Board member, bring to the table a great heard and love of the Folk Alliance community. He was a tireless advocate for bringing the Folk Alliance International Conference to Austin, working closely with the Texas Music Office to help make it happen. No one was happier than Bruce when Austin was chosen as the host city for the 2006 conference.

Bruce and his wife Liz made their mark on the Austin folk scene by hosting concerts in their North Austin home for 14 years — hundreds of artists and thousands of folk music fans gathered at the Rouse House Concerts, to enjoy and celebrate music and friendships. They suspended their series in the fall when Bruce retired from his job as a petroleum engineering researcher at the University of Texas and the couple moved to Sun City Texas in Georgetown, planning to soon continue the tradition of music in their new home.

[Obituary courtesy of the Folk Alliance].