Ray Loring; Gordon College professor composed TV scores

Ray Loring composed his works in a high-tech electronic studio in the Georgetown family home where he grew up. (Jim Wilson/globe staff/file 1996)

Composer Ray Loring, whose music set the mood for nearly 100 episodes of the PBS series "Nova," died Sept. 6 after suffering a heart attack while climbing in the White Mountains.

Mr. Loring, who lived in Georgetown and taught music at Gordon College, was 65.

"We're all devastated here," said Paula S. Apsell, senior executive producer for "Nova" at WGBH in Boston. "He was such a great guy, really talented, really easy to work with. He understood the needs of film music."

Mr. Loring was trying to reach his 84th high peak in New England when he collapsed about noon, south of Haystack Mountain in Bethlehem, N.H. He and two fellow members of the Appalachian Mountain Club were bushwhacking their way to the top of a nameless peak.

His companions called 911 and were able to give authorities the coordinates of their location. A rescue attempt took several hours because of the steep trek, according to friends.

Mr. Loring composed his works in a high-tech electronic studio high in the barn loft of the family home where he grew up. He was the only child of Rena and Howard Loring. His mother died several years ago. He leaves his father.

Charles Raymond Loring II began playing piano at age 10. He graduated from Perley High School in Georgetown and earned his undergraduate degree in American Studies at Yale. He was a Woodrow Wilson fellow at Brandeis University Graduate School of Music.

Mr. Loring studied piano with Fred Noonan, the White House pianist for Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Truman.

His childhood friend Dick Bartlett, who met him in a music appreciation class in high school, recalled Mr. Loring's first visit to his home.

"He brought over Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring,' and it was just a mind-blowing experience," said Bartlett, who is a filmmaker.

While in college, the men traveled around Europe together. "We'd sort of assault conservatories, break in, find a piano, and he'd play this really far out stuff," said Bartlett, of Wellesley.

The men collaborated on the 1971 film, "Ruby," a quiet comedy about small-town life in New England featuring people who were not professional actors. The movie received warm national reviews.

"He was coming up with this music that was so funny and ingenious," Bartlett said.

In 1980, Mr. Loring began teaching music at Endicott College in Beverly, where he worked until launching his freelance career in 1992.

He scored two television dramas for Hearst Productions, "Last Ferry Home," starring Christopher Reeve, and "No Room for Opal," featuring Tyne Daly.

For "Nova," Mr. Loring's music was heard in "The Last Great Ape," "Pocahontas Revealed," and "Saving The National Treasures," among others. He also composed numerous other pieces for PBS's "Frontline," as well as for The History Channel and The Discovery Channel.

A few days before his death, Mr. Loring completed the music for the upcoming "NOVA" program "Arctic Dinosaurs," which will be dedicated in his memory when it premieres Oct. 7.

"He said it was some of the best music he had scored in his career," said producer Jackie Mow. "It was such an honor to have worked with him."

Friends and colleagues remembered Mr. Loring as a "humble genius."

"It's often dog eat dog in this business, and Ray wasn't like that," Mow said. "He would listen to anybody; if a PA (production assistant) had a thought, he would listen. He leaves a huge hole in the Boston area in terms of composers."

Last year, Mr. Loring became a full-time faculty member at Gordon College, a Christian liberal arts school in Wenham.

"Gracious, kind-hearted, and always ready to do more to serve others, Ray was greatly appreciated by students and colleagues here," the college's provost, Mark L. Sargent, said in a statement.

A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m. today in the chapel at Gordon College. Burial will be in Harmony Cemetery in Georgetown.