Jacob Avshalomov papers, 1924-2004

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Avshalomov, Jacob, 1919-2013
Title
Jacob Avshalomov papers
Dates
1924-2004 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.75 cubic feet, (1 record carton, 1 oversize box and 1 oversize folder)
Collection Number
Coll 183
Summary
The papers of Jacob Avshalomov consist of correspondence, clippings, programs, musical scores, certificates, memoir books, photographs, and publications relating mostly to his musical career, as well as those of his sons, David and Daniel, and his Russian-born father, Aaron. Also included are programs, reviews, and photographs of the Portland Junior Symphony (later the Portland Youth Philharmonic), which he led from 1954 to 1995.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided by the OHS Performing Arts fund.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Born in Tsingtao (Qingdao), China, in 1919, to an American mother and Russian father, Jacob Avshalomov fell naturally into the world of composing and conducting orchestral music. His father, Siberian-born Aaron Avshalomov, composed music in China for thirty years, and in his final three years there, conducted the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. When Jacob was a boy, the family spent three years in Portland, where his father conducted the B'nai B'rith chorale and orchestra. His parents separated, and after working as a teenager for a manufacturer in China, Jacob Avshalomov immigrated to the United States with his mother in 1937. His father followed in 1947. Jacob married Doris Felde in 1943, and their sons David and Daniel continued the family musical tradition.

After studying composition with Ernst Tock in Los Angeles, Avshalomov enrolled at Reed College in Portland, and joined the Portland Junior Symphony as a musician and apprentice to conductor Jacques Gershkovitch, a family friend. After earning his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in music from the Eastman School, he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II. A Ditson Fellowship allowed him to study at Columbia University after the war, and he stayed on to teach and conduct the Collegiate Chorale. He returned to Portland in 1954 to succeed Gershkovitch as conductor and musical director of the Portland Junior Symphony. Under Avshalomov's direction, the symphony changed its name to the Portland Youth Philharmonic in 1978. For 40 years, Jacob Avshalomov led the youth orchestra through concerts and recording sessions and on six international tours to Europe and Asia. In 1999, the youth orchestra feted his 80th birthday with a special alumni concert.

Avshalomov's compositions include choral, chamber, and orchestral works, as well as vocal and keyboard pieces. He also worked collaboratively with his father, and in later years he set his wife's poems to music. Both as a composer and conductor, Avshalomov received many national awards and distinctions, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the New York Music Critics Award, and appointment to the National Council on Humanities. Locally, he was named Portland's First Citizen and received the Governor's Arts Award. His memoir, "Avshalomov's Winding Way, pays tribute to his father Aaron's musicianship and formative role in nurturing Jacob Avshalomov's musical talent. Jacob Avshalomov died in 2013.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection contains programs and reviews of Portland Junior Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic concerts, including programs from the orchestra's international tours. Personal papers of Jacob Avshalomov include correspondence, clippings, programs, certificates, photographs, and memoirs, relating mostly to his musical career, as well as those of his sons, David and Daniel, and his Russian-born father Aaron. Publications include musical scores, including collaborative works with his wife, Doris Avshalomov, writings on American music and the Portland Youth Philharmonic, and manuscripts for his published memoir, "Avshalomov's Winding Way."

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Jacob Avshalomov papers, Coll 183, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  • Series 1: Portland Youth Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic
  • Series 2: Personal papers
  • Series 3: Publications
  • Series 4: Photographs and drawings

Acquisition Information

Gifts of Jacob Avshalomov in June 2002 (Lib. Acc. 24663), November 2009 (Lib. Acc. 26991, February 2011 (Lib. Acc. 27283), and March 2012 (Lib. Acc. 27552).

Related Materials

Records of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Coll 184, are also held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Related Materials

Musical scores of Jacob Avshalomov are located at the New York Public Library, Library for the Performing Arts, Music Division, JPB 02-5, New York, New York.

Separated Materials

Sound recordings from Accession 24663 were transferred to the sound recordings collection at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library; published books were separated to book collections and cataloged individually.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1:  Portland Junior Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic, 1924-1995Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1
Reviews - Portland Junior Symphony
1924-1931
1 2
Reviews - Portland Junior Symphony
1931-1941
1 3
Reviews - Portland Junior Symphony
1942-1959
1 4
Reviews - Portland Youth Philharmonic
1976-1990
1 5
Special programs - Portland Junior Symphony
1954-1976
1 6
Special programs - Portland Youth Philharmonic
1979-1995
1 7
Calendar - Portland Youth Philharmonic
1993

Series 2:  Personal papers, 1929-2004Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 8
Awards, proclamations, and congratulations
1979-2002
1 9
Programs - performances of compositions by Aaron, Jacob, and Daniel Avshalomov
1945-2000
1 10
"Leaves from his Memory Book May 1985 and some Lingering earlier ones"
1985 May
1 11
"Appreciations of Jacob Avshalomov"
2004 September
1 12
Clippings - Aaron Avshalomov
1929-2000
1 13
Clippings - Jacob Avshalomov
1954-2002; undated
1 14
Clippings - David and Daniel Avshalomov
1974-2002
1 15
Correspondence - Oppenheimer Casings Company
Photocopies of correspondence between Oppenheimer Casings Company and U.S. government offices regarding the recovery of it lost merchandise en route from Sinkiang Province to Tientsin, China, in the 1930s. Jacob Avshalomov was an employee of Oppenheimer in his teenage years. Original are held by the National Archives and Records Administration.
1933-1935
Folder
Oversize 1
Poster, Portland Junior Symphony tribute to Aaron Avshalomov
1969 May 18
Box Folder
2 3
Musical scores for "City Upon a Hill, a Cantata for Chorus, Orchestra, and Speaker" by Jacob Avshalomov
2 spiral bound folios with handwritten revisions by Jacob Avshalomov (copy 1 without speaker; copy 2 with speaker).
1967 July-1987 March

Series 3:  Publications, 1954-2001Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 16
Musical scores
Music composed by Jacob Avshalomov; lyrics by Doris Avshalomov. Published by Howlet Press, Portland, Oregon.
1994; 1996
1 17
Piccolo Spoleto Symposium, Charleston, South Carolina: "Where is Our American Music?"
1983
1 18
Jacob Avshalomov on Portland Youth Philharmonic
1954-1962; 1995
1 19
Manuscript, Part I - "Avshalomov's Winding Way"
Author's note: manuscript version before final cuts.
circa 2001
1 20
Manuscript, Part II - "Avshalomov's Winding Way"
Author's note: manuscript version before final cuts.
circa 2001
1 21
Manuscript - "Avshalomov's Winding Way"
Photocopies of proposed images.
circa 2001
1 22
Manuscript - "Avshalomov's Winding Way"
Galley proofs.
2001

Series 4:  Photographs and drawings, 1980-1994Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
2 1
Pencil portrait of Jacob Avshalomov by Donna Ryan
1980 September
2 2
Photographs (oversize)
1989-1994
Jacob Avshalomov with Victor Atiyeh and Barbara Roberts
1994 February 14
Group photograph of Portland Youth Philharmonic members in Seoul, Korea
1992
Jacob Avshalomov conducting the Portland Youth Philharmonic at The Brucknerhaus, Linz, Austria
1989 March 20
2
Photograph (mounted) of Jacob Avshalomov conducting the Portland Youth Philharmonic
Location unknown; probably at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon.
undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Composers--Oregon--Portland
  • Concerts--Oregon--Portland--Reviews
  • Conductors (Music)--Oregon--Portland
  • Music--Oregon--Portland
  • Musicians--Oregon--Portland
  • Performing arts--Oregon--Portland
  • Russian Americans--Oregon
  • Symphony orchestras--Oregon--Portland

Personal Names

  • Avshalomov, Aaron, 1894-1965
  • Avshalomov, Daniel
  • Avshalomov, David, 1946-
  • Avshalomov, Doris
  • Avshalomov, Jacob, 1919-2013

Corporate Names

  • Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra
  • Portland Youth Philharmonic

Form or Genre Terms

  • clippings (information artifacts)
  • correspondence
  • manuscripts for publication
  • memoirs
  • photographs
  • programs (documents)
  • scores (documents for music)