Jacob Avshalomov (March 28, 1919 – April 25, 2013) was a

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and conductor.

Early life and education

Jacob Avshalomov was born on March 28, 1919, in

Tsingtao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

, China. Note: Profile by David Campbell. His father was

Aaron Avshalomov Aaron Avshalomov (russian: Ааро́н Авшало́мов; 11 November 1894 – 16 April 1965) was a Russian-born Jewish composer. His work included several ballets, two operas, a violin concerto, four symphonies and a flute concerto. Ea ...

, the Siberian-born composer known for "oriental musical materials cast in western forms and media"; his mother was from San Francisco. Jacob received musical instruction from his father starting at a young age. At eight years old Avshalomov visited Portland from China with his parents and were guests of

Jacques Gershkovitch Jacques Gershkovitch (1884–1953) was a Russian conductor and musician who became the first music director of the Portland Junior Symphony (now known as the Portland Youth Philharmonic), the first youth orchestra in the United States, based in ...

for several months in 1927. Note: Profile by David Campbell. Aaron Avshalomov had become friends with Gershkovitch in the Orient (Jacob was three years old when the two met). However, because they did not hold permanent visas the family returned to China. Avshalomov graduated from British and American schools before age fifteen, then worked as a factory supervisor in Tientsin,

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

and

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

over a span of four years. Avshalomov was also active in sports and won the

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

championship of North China. In 1937, Avshalomov assisted his father in Shanghai with ballet production and working on scores. He then enlisted with a British volunteer corps following Japan's invasion of China during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

, and eventually returned to the United States with his mother in December 1937. Avshalomov spent a year in Los Angeles studying with

Ernst Toch Ernst Toch (; 7 December 1887 – 1 October 1964) was an Austrian composer of classical music and film scores. He sought throughout his life to introduce new approaches to music. Biography Toch was born in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, into the family ...

, followed by two years in Portland, Oregon to attend

Reed College Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...

(1939–1941). During this time he studied with Gershkovitch and participated in the Portland Junior Symphony. He then spent two years at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

to study composition and orchestration with

Bernard Rogers Bernard Rogers (4 February 1893 – 24 May 1968) was an American composer. His best known work is ''The Passion'', an oratorio written in 1942. Life and career Rogers was born in New York City. He studied with Arthur Farwell, Ernest Bloc ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he lived in London, where he conducted a performance of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

's ''

St John Passion The ''Passio secundum Joannem'' or ''St John Passion'' (german: Johannes-Passion, link=no), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the older of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during his first year as direc ...

''.

Career

Following the war, Avshalomov received the Ditson Fellowship and joined faculty of the music department at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where he taught from 1946 to 1954. Here he conducted American premier performances of

Anton Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...

's Mass No. 1 and

Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten ...

's ''

A Child of Our Time ''A Child of Our Time'' is a secular oratorio by the British composer Michael Tippett (1905–1998), who also wrote the libretto. Composed between 1939 and 1941, it was first performed at the Adelphi Theatre, London, on 19 March 1944. The work ...

''. He served on the National Humanities Council from 1968 to 1974 and the Music Planning Section of the National Arts Endowment from 1977 to 1979.

Portland Youth Philharmonic

Following Gershkovitch's death in 1953, guest conductors lead the Portland Junior Symphony (now known as the

Portland Youth Philharmonic The Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony (PJS). Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910, when music teacher Mary ...

) for its thirtieth season—one was Avshalomov. Avshalomov was appointed the orchestra's second conductor in 1954. During his forty-year tenure Avshalomov encouraged international tours and produced several recordings, some of which included pieces commissioned by the orchestra, making the Portland Junior Symphony the first known recording orchestra in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. He led the ensemble on their first international tour in 1970. The orchestra became known as the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) in 1978. The year 1984 marked the orchestra's sixtieth anniversary as well as Avshalomov's thirtieth year as conductor. Avshalomov retired in 1995 after an estimated 640 concerts and 10,000 auditions.

Compositions

Avshalomov has composed several symphonic pieces. The cantata "How Long Oh Lord" was recorded by

Composers Recordings, Inc. Composers Recordings, Inc. (CRI) was an American record label dedicated to the recording of contemporary classical music by American composers. It was founded in 1954 by Otto Luening, Douglas Moore, and Oliver Daniel, and based in New York City. ...

(CRI) in the late 1960s, along with two of his father's works. Other pieces by Avshalomov recorded by CRI are "Phases of the Great Land" (CRI 194), "Inscriptions at the City of Brass" (CRI 117), "The Taking of T'ung Kuan" (CRI 117), and "Prophesy" (CRI 191). Avshalomov also wrote "The Oregon", a symphony commemorating the centennial anniversary of the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, in 1959. One main characteristic of Avshalomov's compositions are the radical change of time-signatures from measure to measure (bar to bar). Other commissioned works include "The Thirteen Clocks", "Glorious th'Assembled Fires", and "Symphony of Songs".

Recognitions

Avshalomov received the Ditson Fellowship in Composition following World War II and a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

. In 1953 he was recognized by the New York Music Critics Circle for his choral work ''Tom o' Bedlam''. Other awards include a

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), French rabbi *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter * (born 1972), German motor journal ...

Award, Naumburg Recording Award,

Ditson Conductor's Award The Ditson Conductor's Award, established in 1945, is the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to the performance of American music. The US$5,000 purse is endowed by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, increased in ...

in 1965, Governor's Arts Award, and

American Symphony Orchestra League The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members. Based in New York Ci ...

Award. In 1994 Avshalomov was named a Portland First Citizen, an honor established by the Portland Realty Board (now the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors) in 1928 to recognize "civic achievements and business leadership within the community". In 2011 Avshalomov was one of three honorees to be recognized by the

Portland Center for the Performing Arts Portland's Centers for the Arts (stylized as Portland'5 Centers for the Arts), formerly known as the Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA), is an organization within Metro that runs venues for live theatre, concerts, cinema, small confer ...

Foundation for outstanding contributions to Portland's art community. Awards recipients had a granite star placed on Main Street by

Antoinette Hatfield Hall Antoinette Hatfield Hall, formerly known as the New Theatre Building, is a complex located in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It is one of three buildings in the Portland'5 Centers for the Arts (formerly known as PCPA), which also include ...

and were presented with a bronze folly bollard.

Death

He died in his sleep at his Portland, Oregon home in 2013.

Recordings

*''Avshalomov: Fabled Cities'' (1998, Albany), contains re-issues of "City Upon a Hill" (1965), "Inscriptions at the City of Brass" (1957), ''Symphony: The Oregon'' and "Up at Timberline" (1987)

References

;Works cited * Note: Profile for Jacob Avshalomov (pp. 49–52) by David Campbell.

External links

* * *
Jacob Avshalomov
at the

American Composers Alliance The American Composers Alliance (ACA) is an American nonprofit composer service organization dedicated to the publishing and promoting of American contemporary classical music. Founded in 1937 by Aaron Copland, Milton Adolphus, Marion Bauer and oth ...

Jacob Avshalomov scores, 1928–2001

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

Interview with Jacob Avshalomov
March 3, 1986 {{DEFAULTSORT:Avshalomov, Jacob 1919 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American composers 21st-century classical composers 21st-century American conductors (music) Albany Records artists American classical composers American male conductors (music) American male classical composers American people of Russian-Jewish descent Classical musicians from Oregon Columbia University faculty Eastman School of Music alumni Jewish American classical composers Musicians from Portland, Oregon Musicians from Qingdao Portland Youth Philharmonic alumni Portland Youth Philharmonic conductors Pupils of Ernst Toch Reed College alumni