Fenelon Bird Rice was born on January 2, 1841 in the village of Greensburg, Trumbull County, Ohio. He was the son of a minister in the "Free Will" Baptist denomination, David Lyman Rice, who, with his wife, Emily Johnson, was deeply interested in church music. His grandfather was David Rice, a well-known Presbyterian pioneer in Virginia and Kentucky.
He began the study of music quite early in life, but with the limited opportunities of a small town. In 1856 his father became a member of the board of trustees of the newly established Baptist College at Hillsdale, Michigan, in which capacity he served until 1886, part of the time as financial agent of the college and for one year (1857) as chairman of the board. This change enabled Fenelon to enter Hillsdale College in 1858 where he was in attendance three years, but there is no record of his graduation. By this time he had decided on music as a profession, for he had gained some experience as a teacher of voice while in college. Going to Boston in 1861, he studied there under J. W. Tufts, B. F. Baker, and Edwin Bruce at the Boston Music School, from which he was graduated in 1863. During this time he held various organ positions.
Soon after his graduation he became an instructor in music at Hillsdale College, where he remained until 1867.
In 1867 with his wife he went to Leipzig, at that time the musical center of Germany. Here Rice studied piano with Papperitz, Moscheles, and Plaidy, and harmony with Richter, while his wife devoted herself to voice study and French. Upon their return to America in 1869 Rice was appointed instructor in music at Oberlin College where he became associated with George W. Steele, who was then in charge of a private school of music affiliated with Oberlin College.
In 1871 he became director of this school (which from that time was known as the Oberlin Conservatory of Music), a position which he held until his death. At first he taught theory and history, but the institution grew so rapidly that he was soon compelled to give up all teaching and devote his entire time to administration. In January 1885 the Conservatory was made a definite department of Oberlin College, and Rice became professor of music, as well as director of the Conservatory. That the school developed into one of the leading schools of music in America was due largely to his artistic ideals and his powers of organization. Soon after taking charge there he interested his teachers in raising the standards and outlined the features essential to the development of a superior school.
He took as his model the best European conservatories, especially Leipzig, in demanding a broad, thorough musical culture, and stressed especially the study of the classical literature of music. He saw very early that the Conservatory must have a permanent home with all necessary facilities and he succeeded in interesting his lifelong friend, Dr. Lucien Warner of New York City, an alumnus of Oberlin, who, with Mrs. Warner, contributed funds for the well-equipped building, Warner Hall, the complete construction of which took many years.
In 1900 Rice Memorial Hall was added. He died in Oberlin.
He was a prominent educator whose plan was not only to educate students, but to encourage the development of teachers for his own school by persuading graduate students to go abroad for further study. In addition to his work, he built up and for thirty years directed Oberlin's musical organization, the Musical Union. In 1880-81 he was president of the Music Teachers National Association.
On September 26, 1863, he married Helen Maria Libby, a graduate of Maine State Seminary and an accomplished singer. They had one son.
