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Portland Youth Philharmonic (Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra) records, 1924-1995
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Portland Youth Philharmonic
- Title
- Portland Youth Philharmonic (Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra) records
- Dates
- 1924-1995 (inclusive)19541995
- Quantity
- 12.29 cubic feet , (12 record cartons, 1 oversize box)
- Collection Number
- Coll 184
- Summary
- The Portland Youth Philharmonic (Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra) records consist of sound recordings of orchestral performances, concert reviews, and documents relating to the youth orchestra’s tours in the United States, Europe, and Japan, during the tenure of directors Jacques Gershkovitch (1924-1953) and Jacob Avshalomov (1954-1995). The Portland Junior Symphony, America’s first youth orchestra, was founded in 1924, and was renamed Portland Youth Philharmonic in 1978. The collection also contains the manuscript for the book The Concerts Reviewed: 65 Years of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, compiled by Jacob and Doris Avshalomov.
- 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
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for processing this collection was provided by the OHS Performing Arts fund.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Building on a nucleus of students working with local violin teacher Mary V. Dodge, who had earlier founded and directed the acclaimed Sagebrush Symphony in Burns, Oregon, the Portland Junior Symphony Association recruited Russian conductor Jacques Gershkovitch to form a full youth orchestra. He agreed, and in 1924 the Portland Junior Symphony was established as the first youth orchestra in the United States and soon became a model for youth orchestras around the country. Gershkovitch remained at the helm until his death in 1953, and was succeeded by his former apprentice Jacob Avshalomov in 1954. Avshalomov, also an established composer, led the orchestra for the next forty years. The orchestra changed its name to the Portland Youth Philharmonic in 1978.
Both conductors brought the orchestra to audiences far beyond Oregon. Under Gershkovitch, the Portland Junior Symphony performances were heard on nationwide radio in the 1930s and internationally in the next decade. Avshalomov’s orchestra produced commercially-offered recordings and traveled to the U.S. East Coast, Europe, and Japan. Oregon Public Broadcasting produced an hour-long television program featuring the youth orchestra which aired nationally in 1973. In 1984, the PYP celebrated its sixtieth anniversary in tandem with the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts, performing in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center under the direction of Leonard Bernstein.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection contains sound recordings (archival open reel tapes and commercially-offered long-playing records), concert reviews, and documents relating to orchestra tours for the Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra / Portland Youth Philharmonic under the batons of directors Jacques Gershkovitch and Jacob Avshalomov. Among the sound recordings are works commissioned for the orchestra and recorded by Composers Recordings, Inc., several U.S. premiers, souvenir recordings from tour concerts, and two major works by Ernest Bloch recorded in 1976. Papers include correspondence, programs, clippings, and general materials, including reports, itineraries, and ephemera related to the youth orchestra's tours in the United States and abroad; as well as pre-publication materials, reviews, and letterpress programs made by Doris Avshalomov that were used in the book The Concerts Reviewed: 65 Years of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Correspondents include major figures in the musical world, including Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, both honorary sponsors of the Portland youth orchestra's tours.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Preferred Citation
Portland Youth Philharmonic (Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra) records, Coll 184, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series A: Sound recordings, 1959-1995
- Series B: Tours, 1970-1994
- Series C: Concerts Reviewed manuscript, 1924-1988 and circa 1990
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series A: Sound recordings, 1959-1995Return to Top
Sound recordings of Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra / Portland Youth Philharmonic performances, some accompanied by local high school and college choirs. Archival open reel audiotape (1/4-inch) and commercially-produced long-playing records (33 rpm LPs).
Access requires special arrangement and may be limited by availability of playback equipment.
Use of sound recordings requires permission of copyright holder.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Audiotapes |
||
Box | ||
1 | 1959 November–1963 November | |
2 | 1964 March-1968 March | |
3 | 1966 May-1971 December | |
4 | 1972 February-1974 May | |
5 | 1974 November-1977 May | |
6 | 1977 November-1980 May | |
7 | 1980 November-1982 November | |
8 | 1983 February-1986 March | |
9 | 1986 March-1989 November | |
10 | 1990 February-1993 May | |
11 | 1993 November-1995 May | |
Long-playing records |
||
14 |
|
Series B: Tours, 1970-1994Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
General materials
Contains materials relating to arrangements for orchestra tours,
including itineraries, schedules, notes, minutes, reports, instructions,
rosters, press releases, maps & other cultural materials, business cards
and other ephemera as well as materials for musicians. Tours included:
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/1 | First International Tour |
1970 |
12/2 | Second International Tour |
1979 |
12/3 | Spoleto /USA Tour |
1981 |
12/4 | Third International Tour |
1984 |
12/5 | Fourth International Tour (cancelled) |
1987 |
12/6 | Fifth International Tour
Referred to in some materials as the Fourth International
Tour.
|
1989 |
12/7 | Sixth International Tour |
1994 |
Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/8 | First International Tour |
1968 December-1970 February |
12/9 | Second International Tour (folder 1) |
1978 July-1979 August |
12/10 | Second International Tour (folder 2) |
1979 September-December |
12/11 | Spoleto/USA Tour |
1980 September-1981 June |
12/12 | Third International Tour (folder 1) |
1981 November-1983 December |
12/13 | Third International Tour (folder 2) |
1984 January-April |
12/14 | Fourth International Tour |
1986 |
12/15 | Fifth International Tour |
1986 April-1989 March |
12/16 | Sixth International Tour |
1987 September – 1994 July |
Programs |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/17 | First International Tour |
1970 |
12/18 | Second International Tour |
1979 |
12/19 | Spoleto/USA Tour |
1981 |
12/20 | Third International Tour |
1984 |
12/21 | Fifth International Tour |
1989 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/22 | First International Tour |
1970 |
12/23 | Second International Tour |
1979 |
12/24 | Spoleto/USA Tour |
1981 |
12/25 | Third International Tour |
1984 |
12/26 | Fourth International Tour |
1986 |
12/27 | Fifth International Tour |
1989 |
12/28 | Sixth International Tour |
1994 |
Musical Score |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/29 | Tokeidai no kane (The Bell in
the Clock Tower)
Handscript & photocopy, in Japanese & English.
Author unknown.
|
circa 1978 |
Photographs |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/30 | Setsuo Tsukahara and Junior Philharmonic Orchestra of
Tokyo
|
circa 1978 |
Series C: Concerts Reviewed Manuscript, 1924-1988, circa 1990Return to Top
Jacob and Doris AvshalomovMaterials gathered and prepared for publication of The Concerts Reviewed: 65 Years of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, a book based on reviews of Portland Youth Philharmonic / Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra performances. Compiled by Jacob and Doris Avshalomov, and published circa 1991 by Amadeus Press.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Original reviews |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/31 | 1954-1965 | |
12/32 | 1965-1976 | |
12/33 | 1976-1980 | |
12/34 | 1980-1987 | |
Review paste-ups for
publication |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/35 | 1924-1938 | |
12/36 | 1939-1953 | |
12/37 | 1954-1970 | |
12/38 | 1971-1988 | |
Letterpress programs produced by
Doris Avshalomov |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12/39 | circa 1990 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Concerts--Oregon--Portland--Reviews
- Music and youth--Oregon--Portland--History
- Symphony orchestras--Oregon--Portland--History
Personal Names
- Avshalomov, Doris
- Avshalomov, Jacob, 1919-
- Gershkovitch, Jacques
Corporate Names
- Portland Youth Philharmonic--Archives (creator)
- Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra
Geographical Names
- Portland (Or.)--Performing arts
Form or Genre Terms
- Clippings
- Correspondence
- Manuscripts for publication
- Programs
- Sound recordings
Titles within the Collection
- The concerts reviewed : 65 years of the Portland Youth Philharmonic