Charles Jones (June 21, 1910 – June 6, 1997) was a Canadian-born music educator and composer of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

who lived and worked mainly in the United States.

Early life and education

Jones was born in Tamworth, Lennox and Addington County, Ontario, Canada. He moved to Toronto at the age of ten, eventually traveling to New York City in 1928. He studied at The Juilliard School, where his primary instructor was Bernard Wagenaar.

Career

By 1937 Jones had composed a number of classical works; that year a concert by Francis James and his string quartet, consisting entirely of Jones' compositions, was held in Toronto at the Eaton Auditorium. Jones began teaching at Mills College in California from 1939 to 1944, and at the Music Academy of the West in 1949 and 1950. From 1951 on he taught at the

Aspen Festival The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, th ...

, where he met and worked with Darius Milhaud. He taught at the Juilliard School between 1954 and 1960, and again in 1973. During the 1970s he taught composition at the Mannes College of Music, starting in 1972. His works have been performed by the New York Philharmonic and the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...

. The music critic Tim Page and composer Walter Buczynski were among Jones's notable students.

Discography

* ''Charles Jones: New & Historial Recordings'', 2005, Albany Music Distribution "Teacher-Composers in a Class by Themselves". ''The Washington Post''. Oct 9, 2005

References

External links

Charles Jones pageCharles Jones liner notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Charles 1910 births 1997 deaths 20th-century classical composers Canadian classical composers People from Lennox and Addington County Canadian male classical composers 20th-century Canadian composers Juilliard School alumni Juilliard School faculty Mannes College The New School for Music faculty Mills College faculty 20th-century Canadian male musicians Music Academy of the West faculty Canadian expatriates in the United States