Personal collection of Maurice Abravanel appears to have had all of the photographs given to him from admiring fans and fellow musicians. The collection is made up of the full gamut of photographs spanning the career of Maurice Abravanel in music. Featured are many important figures in the history of 20th century music as well as a unique view into the work of a director. This collection contains many unidentified photographs.
Collection is arranged topically.
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Gift of Maurice Abravanel in 1987.
Processed by Special Collections Staff
Audio-visual materials were transferred to the Maurice Abravanel audio-visual collection (A0227).
See also the Utah Symphony photograph collection (P0166), the Martin Zwick photograph collection (P0443), and the audio-visual collection (A0701) for taped conversations with Maurice Abravanel.
For more than three decades, the names of Maurice Abravanel (1903-1993) and the Utah Symphony were virtually synonymous. Born in Greece of Spanish and Portuguese parents, he was raised in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he first conducted at the age of 16.
Abravanel studied in Berlin with Kurt Weill, later enjoying a close collaboration with the composer which led to conducting the world premieres of all of Weill's American productions. After debuts in Europe at renowned houses including the Berlin State Opera and Paris Opera, Abravanel was engaged in 1936 to conduct the Metropolitan Opera--the youngest conductor ever to step to its podium.
His tenure as Music Director of the Utah Symphony lasted from 1947 until 1979, when he retired for health reasons. Under Abravanel's leadership, the Utah Symphony grew from a part-time, community ensemble into one of the finest and most respected orchestras in the country.
A perfectionist who was relentless in his quest for artistic excellence, Abravanel was a constant source of inspiration to the musicians and staff. He strove to share great music with an entire spectrum of listeners: students from grade school through college, rural Utah residents, subscribers who never missed a concert, and music lovers throughout the state, country and international capitals.
He led the Utah Symphony on four triumphant international tours. Under his direction, the orchestra performed in concert halls of major cities across the country, and brought music to audiences large and small in all corners of Utah and the southwestern region.
Abravanel is credited as being one of the outstanding interpreters of Mahler and Bruckner, championing their works in this country at a time when few others believed in their now-indisputable compositional genius. His recordings of all the Mahler symphonies are regarded as classics, as are many of his other Utah Symphony recordings on labels including Vanguard, Vox, Angel and CBS.
In addition to his passion for the Utah Symphony, Abravanel found time and limitless enthusiasm to promote other arts. In the 1950s, he encouraged choreographer Willam Christensen to return to his native Utah to form a dance department at the University of Utah, which has since evolved into Ballet West. There began a collaboration between orchestra and ballet that started with "The Nutcracker" and continues today. The Symphony maintains a similar relationship with Utah Opera.
Maestro Abravanel was for many years associated with the music department of the University of Utah, where numerous Utah Symphony members received their training. Between 1956 and 1979 he directed the prestigious Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, many of whose participants later joined the Utah Symphony and other top orchestra.
Maestro Abravanel has had three musical auditoriums named in his honor: at the Music Academy of the West; at Oceanside, California; and most recently in Brookhaven, Long Island.
Still a vital force in the music world, Abravanel is artist-in-residence, and in 1982 was director of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1985, he was the only member of that faculty to receive an appointment for life. Countless Tanglewood students consider Abravanel an indispensible presence at the school.
He was vice chairman of the American Symphony Orchestra League, and received the ASOL's Gold Baton Award in 1981. He is a permanent advisor to that organization, participates in its conductor's workshops, and is a frequent judge at competitions for conductors, pianists, and violinists.
President Nixon appointed Abravanel to serve on the National Council of the National Endowment for the Arts and he has been a board member of the Utah Arts Council since 1979. In 1987 he won the first annual Richard D. Bass Achievement Award.
Included among his many awards and honors are a Tony award for "Regina," (The Little Foxes), Grammy nominations for a recording of Honegger's King David, for Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, and for Bloch's Sacred Service. He has received honorary doctorates from several institutions, including the University of Utah, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Utah State University and Weber State College.
This biography is a reprint from the Utah Symphony program of January 8 and 9, 1988, and is used courtesy of Utah Symphony.
Maurice Abravanel died in Salt Lake City on 22 September 1993.
Maurice's wife, Lucie Menasse Carasso (m 1947), is often spelled "Lucy" in articles and on the backs of various images.
1-17: Symphony on tour
1-10: Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark and others
1: The Newly built Symphony Hall (later renamed Abravanel Hall)
1-15: Lucie Abravanel with others at social events
1-9: Maurice Abravanel with his sculpture in front of Abravanel Hall and individual picture of the sculpture (P0590n05_11_006 is a duplicate of P0590n02_01_003)
1-23: Family and friends photos
1-10: Maurice and Lucie Abravanel in the mountains and with snowcats.
1-4: Maurice Abravanel and Carolyn Firmage
1-7: Maurice Abravanel traveling
1-4: Model of Tanglewood Concert hall, copyright Steven Rosenthal
1-3: Maurice Abravanel with others at an outdoor event, photos by Edwin Jaffe
1-10: Abravanel memorial event at Abravanel Hall
1: Tanglewood
1-74: Unidentified Event featuring Carolyn Abravanel, probably a holiday party.
Carolyn Abravanel with a child, perhaps family gathering during the holidays
1: Contact sheet for photos of an outdoor awards event, circa 1980s
1-2: Maurice and Carolyn Firmage Abravanel Wedding, July 2, 1987
1: Contact sheet of Maurice and Carolyn Abravanel
1-2: Maurice Abravanel and Jim Bradley renaming the Symphony Hall to Abravanel Hall, December 1992
1-12: Maurice Abravanel's 90th Birthday Gala, January 1993
1-5: Maurice Abravanel's 90th birthday gathering, pictured with Carol Fay and others
1-10: Carolyn Abravanel and others at the Maurice Abravanel Studio Dedication at Gardner Hall
1-15: Maurice Abravanel Memorial Service