Harrison Keller (October 8, 1888 – March 13, 1979) was an American violinist and music educator.''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', Seventh Edition, Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schirmer Books, New York, 1984, page 1178 Keller was born in

Delphos, Kansas Delphos is a city in Ottawa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 302. The community was named after Delphos, Ohio. History Delphos was founded in 1867 by Levi and Dan Yockey. The two brothers ...

, and began his violin studies at Bethany College in

Lindsborg, Kansas Lindsborg is a city in McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,776. Lindsborg is known for its large Swedish, other Nordic and Scandinavian Americans ( Nordic- Scandinavian), and German ...

, graduating in 1907. From 1907 to 1911, he continued his studies at the

Stern Conservatory The Stern Conservatory (''Stern'sches Konservatorium'') was a private music school in Berlin with many distinguished tutors and alumni. The school is now part of Berlin University of the Arts. History It was founded in 1850 as the ''Berliner Musi ...

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...

. Keller also studied with Anton Witek in Prague (1912) and

Leopold Auer Leopold von Auer ( hu, Auer Lipót; June 7, 1845July 15, 1930) was a Hungarian violinist, academic, conductor, composer, and instructor. Many of his students went on to become prominent concert performers and teachers. Early life and career Au ...

in St. Petersburg, Russia (1913 to 1914). Keller served in the United States Army during World War I, acting as leader of the 301st Artillery Band in France,Biographical sketch, RG 1.4: Records of Harrison Keller, Director/President, 1946 -1958. New England Conservatory Archives, Boston, MA. and received the French Legion of Honor. On his return to the United States, he put together the Boston String Quartet in Boston, Massachusetts. Keller joined the faculty of New England Conservatory, New England Conservatory of Music in 1921 as head of the violin department. From 1922 to 1946, Keller was head of the string department. From 1947 to 1952, he served as the conservatory’s sixth director; and from 1952 to 1958, president of its board of directors. In 1974, New England Conservatory created and endowed the Harrison Keller String Quartet in his honor. Keller also served as director of the Boston Opera Association, trustee of the Paderewski and Frank Huntington Beebe Funds, and president of the National Association of Schools of Music for three terms.’’The School Musician’’ published 1947, American School Band Directors Association Keller was also appointed to the American Academy of Arts. Keller received honorary doctorates from Bethany College in 1954, Hartt School of Music in 1955, and New England Conservatory in 1959. Keller died in Wellesley, Massachusetts, aged 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Harrison 1888 births 1979 deaths People from Ottawa County, Kansas American male violinists New England Conservatory faculty Bethany College (Kansas) alumni Musicians from Kansas United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Legion of Honour 20th-century American violinists 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American male musicians