Dean Elder Collection
Collection
0530-IPAM
The Dean Elder Collection contains correspondence and audio-visual materials relating to the life and career of author, educator, critic, and pianist Dean Elder. Elder completed hundreds of interviews over the course of his life, both for Clavier magazine, where he was the consulting editor and a record reviewer, and for his book, Pianists at Play. Elder’s book is largely considered an important text within the musical community, and his numerous articles for Clavier continue to be held in high esteem. Expand the menus below for additional information.
6.00 Linear Feet
English
Dean Elder was a pianist, pedagogue, critic, adjudicator, and esteemed author. Elder completed his early piano training with Franziska Heinrich, a student of Teresa Carreño. He received degrees from the University of Idaho and Columbia University, and was also the recipient of several Fulbright grants which allowed him to continue his studies with Walter Frey, Jean Batalla, and Walter Gieseking in Europe. Elder completed hundreds of interviews over the course of his life, both for Clavier magazine, where he was the consulting editor and a record reviewer, and for his book, Pianists at Play. Elder’s book is largely considered an important text within the musical community, and his numerous articles for Clavier continue to be held in high esteem. Elder served on the juries of countless competitions, including the Gina Bachauer, William Kapell, Arthur Rubinstein, Jose Iturbi, Utrecht Liszt, Sydney, Senigallia, Hamamatsu, Leeds, and Paris International Piano Competitions. Elder also acted as a member of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition screening jury in 1997. Elder passed away at the age of 98 in 2019.
The collection is organized into two series:
Series I- Correspondence
Contains correspondence between Elder and famous pianists.
Series II- Interview Materials
Contains cassette tapes and CDs of interviews between Elder and famous pianists.
Please see the detailed finding aid under inventories/additional information for an item-level overview of the collection.
Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library