Oregon Historical
Society, Davies Family Research Library
Coll
184
Portland
Youth Philharmonic
Portland Youth Philharmonic (Portland
Junior Symphony Orchestra) records
1924-1995
12.29 cubic feet
12 record cartons, 1 oversize box
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.
The materials in the collection are inEnglish
Historical Note
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.
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.
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
Collection assembled by longtime Portland Youth Philharmonic director
Jacob Avshalomov.
The collection is open to the public.
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.
Portland Youth Philharmonic (Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra)
records, Coll 184, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Library accession no. 25172
Jacob Avshalomov papers, Coll 183, Oregon Historical Society Research
Library
Oral history interview with Jacob Avshalomov [sound recording], 1977
January 12, SR 9341, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Avshalomov, Jacob, 1919-
Gershkovitch, Jacques
Avshalomov,
Doris
Portland
Youth Philharmonic--Archives
Portland
Junior Symphony Orchestra
Portland
(Or.)--Performing arts
Symphony
orchestras--Oregon--Portland--History
Concerts--Oregon--Portland--Reviews
Music and
youth--Oregon--Portland--History
Music
Performing Arts
Children and Youth
Oregon
Programs
Correspondence
Clippings
Manuscripts for
publication
Sound
recordings
The concerts
reviewed : 65 years of the Portland Youth Philharmonic
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
Series A
Sound recordings
1959-1995
11.29 cubic feet (11 record
cartons and 1 oversize box)
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).
Arranged chronologically within recording format.
Access requires special arrangement and may be limited by
availability of playback equipment.
Use of sound recordings requires permission of copyright
holder.
Audiotapes
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
-
<emph render="underline">The Gershkovitch Album: A
Memorial Recording (1923-1953)</emph>.
Junior Symphony Association,
circa 1964.
Thomas, Overture to
Raymond; Grieg (arr. Gershkovitch) The Last
Spring; Debussy, Rehearsal of En
Bateau from Petite Suite; Mussorgsky,
Prelude to Khovantchina; Rimksy-Korsakov,
Russian Easter Overture.
-
Composers Recordings Inc. ,
1960.
Roy Harris, Elegy and
Dance; David Diamond, The World of Paul
Klee; William Bergsma, Chameleon
Variations; Benjamin Lees, Prologue, Capriccio and
Epilogue. CRI 140.
2 copies, different covers.
-
Composers Recordings Inc. ,
undated.
Robert Ward, Divertimento; Jacob Avshalomov, Phases Of The
Great Land. CRI 194.
-
Composers Recordings Inc. ,
1976.
Ernest Bloch, Suite Symphonique
and Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra.
CRI 350.
-
1963 May 12
Michael Tippett, A Child of Our
Time (with chorus).
-
<emph render="underline">Celebrate – Dedication
Concert</emph>
1968 May 4
Berlioz, Corsair
Overture; Hanson, Serenade for Flute;
Vaughan-Williams Fantasia on a theme by Tallis;
Avshalomov, Inscriptions at the City of Brass.
With chorus. NWI 2707.
-
<emph render="underline">First International Tour
March 12-29 1970 Souvenir Tour Recording.</emph>
1970
Dohnanyi, Suite in F# minor, Op.
19; Avshalomov, Symphony: The Oregon. NWI
2755.
-
1971 April 23
William Walton Belshazzar’s
Feast (with chorus); Haydn, Symphony No. 2
Oxford. NWI 2778.
-
<emph render="underline">Forty-Eighth Season</emph>
1972 February 27
Handel, Zadok the Priest;
Brahms, Song of Destiny, Op. 54 (with chorus);
Respighi, Roman Festivals. Century Records
40638.
-
<emph render="underline">Bicentennial Season
1975-1976 Souvenir Concert Recording</emph>.
circa 1976
Avshalomov, City upon a
Hill; Dvorak, Symphony from the New World.
NWI 2841.
-
1981 February 28
Brahms, Symphony No. 1
and Stravinsky, Rite of Spring. NW 3021.
Series B
Tours
1970-1994
0.5 cubic foot (0.5 record
carton)
Arranged chronologically by tour date within subseries described
below.
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:
- First International Tour (1970 March 12-29): London,
England; Lisbon, Portugal; Milan, Parma, and Florence, Italy; New York City and
Washington D.C.
- Second International Tour (1979 November 3-14): Sapporo
(20th anniversary of Portland/Sapporo Sister City association), Ebetsu, Tokyo,
and Iruma, Japan. Included appearances on Japanese television.
- Spoleto / USA Tour (1981 June 3-10): Charleston, SC
(Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto) and Washington, D.C.
- Third International Tour (1984 March 11-26): New York City
(60th Anniversary of Young People’s Concert with New York Philharmonic, Leonard
Bernstein conducting); Novisad, Belgrade, Zagreb, and Rijeka, Yugoslavia; Graz
and Linz, Austria.
- Fourth International Tour scheduled for 1987 June cancelled
due to anti-Israeli terrorism in Europe. Planned itinerary: Leningrad, Soviet
Union; Helsinki, Finland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Kiel and Hamburg,
Germany.
- Fifth International Tour (1989 March 16-31): Jenbach and
Linz, Austria; Bratislava, Czecholsolvakia; Budapest, Kecskemet, and Sopron,
Hungary; Stuttgart, West Germany. (Sometimes referred to as Fifth tour.)
- Sixth International Tour (1994 June): Frankfurt, Stuttgart,
and Berlin, Germany.
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
1989
Referred to in some materials as the Fourth International
Tour.
12/7
Sixth International Tour
1994
Correspondence
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
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
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
12/29
Tokeidai no kane (The Bell in
the Clock Tower)
Handscript & photocopy, in Japanese & English.
Author unknown.
circa 1978
Photographs
12/30
Setsuo Tsukahara and Junior Philharmonic Orchestra of
Tokyo
circa 1978
six 5x7-inch black and white photo prints
Series C
Jacob and Doris Avshalomov
Concerts
Reviewed Manuscript
1924-1988
circa 1990
0.5 cubic foot (0.5 record
carton)
Materials 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.
The OHS Research Library holds a copy of the published work in
its main book collection.
Original reviews
12/31
1954-1965
12/32
1965-1976
12/33
1976-1980
12/34
1980-1987
Review paste-ups for
publication
12/35
1924-1938
12/36
1939-1953
12/37
1954-1970
12/38
1971-1988
Letterpress programs produced by
Doris Avshalomov
12/39
circa 1990