Harold Aks (November 1, 1921,

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

– June 30, 2000, Canada) was an American conductor and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

. He founded the Dorian Chorale, a professional chorus based in Manhattan, and also conducted several notable community choruses in New York City like the

Interracial Fellowship Chorus Interracial topics include: * Interracial marriage, marriage between two people of different races ** Interracial marriage in the United States *** 2009 Louisiana interracial marriage incident * Interracial adoption, placing a child of one raci ...

. Harold Aks was married to Patricia Aks, a writer of

young adult books Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

. His brothers-in-law were humorist Sam Levenson and artist

Michael Lenson Michael Lenson (February 21, 1903 – June 9, 1971) has gained widespread recognition as one of America's most important realist painters. ''Who Was Who in American Art'' called him "New Jersey's most important muralist." He is valued for his skil ...

. Harold's sister, Esther Ray was an award winning painter herself. Aks studied music at

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

until World War II interrupted his education, and he became a weatherman for the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

in India. After the war he entered the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

, where he studied choral conducting with

Pierre Monteux Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in ...

and Robert Shaw. He graduated from Juilliard with a Bachelor of Music in conducting in 1948. He then joined the staff of the

Dalton School The Dalton School, originally the Children's University School, is a private, coeducational college preparatory school in New York City and a member of both the Ivy Preparatory School League and the New York Interschool. The school is located in ...

in 1949, where he taught music and conducted choirs for almost 50 years. He simultaneously taught on the faculty of

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

from 1954 to 1992. He died in 2000 in Canada at the age of 78.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aks, Harold 1921 births 2000 deaths American male conductors (music) Juilliard School alumni Sarah Lawrence College faculty 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians Brooklyn College alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces soldiers