Jacques Gershkovitch
Encyclopedia
Jacques Gershkovitch was a Russian conductor
and musician
who became the first music director of the Portland Junior Symphony (America's first youth orchestra, now known as the Portland Youth Philharmonic
). Born to a musical family in Irkutsk
, Gershkovitch was sent to Saint Petersburg
in his late teens to study at the Imperial Conservatory
, where he learned from respected Russian composers. In 1913 he graduated with the title of "laureate" and honors in flute
and conducting, and was awarded the Schubert Scholarship for a year of study under German conductor Arthur Nikisch
in Berlin
. However, Gershkovitch's studies with Nikisch were shortened due to World War I
. Gershkovitch returned to Irkutsk to enlist
and by 1916 he had become head of the Imperial Russian Army
's military symphony orchestra. He held this position through the revolution and following the war as concerts were often presented as benefits for orphans and the Red Cross
.
Gershkovitch married in Irkutsk in 1918. There, he established a fine arts conservatory and symphony orchestra which continued under the Bolshevik regime. In 1921, he and his wife crossed the border in China to escape from Russia. Ballerina Anna Pavlova offered Gershkovitch the assistant conductor position with her orchestra, which was touring throughout the Orient. Gershkovitch remained in Japan to lead the newly-organized Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. However, the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
disrupted the organization and caused Gershkovitch and his wife to emigrate to the United States.
The couple arrived in San Francisco in November 1923 and made their way to Portland
, Oregon
in 1924. There, Gershovitch was approached by Mary Dodge and two of her students to lead the Portland Junior Symphony. Known for his discipline and high performance standards, Gershkovitch conducted the orchestra for twenty-nine years, gaining national attention for the ensemble and pioneering the youth orchestra movement, until his death in 1953.
Jacques Gershkovitch was born in 1884 to a Jewish
family in Irkutsk
near Lake Baikal
in Siberia
, Russia
. His father, an amateur violin
ist "who made up in enthusiasm what he lacked in skill", and mother had seven children, six of which became professional conductors or singers. Chamber music
was a common activity in the household. Gershkovitch was sent to Saint Petersburg
in his late teens to study at the Imperial Conservatory
. The 4,000-mile (6,400 km) journey took two weeks via the newly-constructed Trans-Siberian Railway
, and Gershkovitch arrived with "17 rubles in his pocket and his flute under his arm", where he auditioned and was awarded a scholarship. There he learned from respected Russian composers such as Alexander Glazunov
, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
and Nikolai Tcherepnin
, and completed coursework in opera and ballet production. To pay his own expenses, and to assist those of two of his siblings who were also studying at the Conservatory, Gershkovitch performed with bands and orchestras. This delayed his undergraduate work, but in 1913 he graduated with the title of "laureate" (the conservatory's highest honor) with honors in flute
and conducting, and was awarded the Schubert Scholarship for a year of study under German conductor Arthur Nikisch
in Berlin
. However, this period was shortened due to World War I
, and Gershkovitch returned to Irkutsk to enlist
.
's military symphony orchestra, a position he held through the revolution. Army duties continued after the war as concerts were often given as benefits for orphans and the Red Cross
, and it was during this period that Gershkovitch would meet his future wife Lucia. Then an engineer working on a construction project near Habarovsk, she had previously been a piano student at the Conservatory during the same period Gershkovitch was there. However, before 1917 the two had never met. In 1918 the couple married in Irkutsk. There he organized a fine arts conservatory and symphony orchestra. The institute was successful, and by 1920 enrollment had reached more than 1,550 students. Following a successful take over of the city by the Bolshevik
s, Gershkovitch conducted bands for funeral services under the new regime. During a service rehearsal, Gershkovitch removed a man causing numerous interruptions—as a result Gershkovitch was commanded to visit the Cheka
, the presiding chief of which was the victim of the previous day's incident. However, the chief was a devotee of music and requested that Gershkovitch produce a grand opera, providing a collection of musical instruments previously confiscated by the Bolsheviks. Gershkovitch's conservatory, orchestra and newly-established opera continued under the Bolshevik regime.
via Manchuria
. After crossing the border to China
in 1921, he remained in Harbin
where he met Lucia, who had also escaped from Russia. Together they made their way to Tientsin
where they met and became close friends with composer Aaron Avshalomov
. When ballerina
Anna Pavlova heard that Gershkovitch had escaped from Russia, she offered him an assistant conductor position with her orchestra, which was touring throughout the Orient
. Following three months of touring, Gershkovitch settled in Tokyo
to undertake the newly-organized Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under the patronage of Baron Okura, a wealthy nobleman and relative of the Mikado
. The orchestra's premiere concert took place at the Imperial Hotel auditorium; many concerts followed and were well-received until the Great Kantō earthquake
of 1923 "disorganized all the business and musical interests of they city". Gershkovitch and his wife, guests at Baron Okura's home, endured the earthquake for six days before leaving for Kobe
. With assistance from Americans, the Norwegian consul, and financial aid from Baron Okura, the couple left for San Francisco, arriving in November 1923. Following the advice of San Francisco Symphony
conductor Alfred Hertz
, Gershkovitch and his wife made their way to Portland, Oregon in 1924. It was here that Gershkovitch was approached by Mary Dodge and two of her students to lead the Portland Junior Symphony (PJS). He taught flute and conducted the Ellison-White Conservatory's student orchestra, at the time directed by Jacob Avshalomov
, until PJS duties required his full attention.
) was founded in late-1924 as the first youth orchestra in the United States. The symphony performed for the first time on February 14, 1925 at the Lincoln High School Auditorium (which later became Portland State University
's Lincoln Hall
), playing two movements
of Schubert
's Unfinished Symphony
. Legend says that at the ensemble's first rehearsal Gershkovitch introduced the composition and stated "You play, or I keel you" in his heavy accent. Concert attendees reportedly surged the stage after the concert to congratulate the musicians, Gershkovitch and Dodge, who was present and called to the stage. One reviewer for the Oregon Sunday Journal wrote the following day that the "audience that almost filled the auditorium to capacity broke into storm upon storm of applause". According to Ronald Russell, author of A New West to Explore (1938), the audience "had experienced a new emotional thrill, and forthwith became strong advocates and supporters of the junior symphony cause."
Gershkovitch, known for his discipline and high performance standards, conducted the orchestra for twenty-nine years, gaining national attention for the ensemble and pioneering the youth orchestra movement. By the 1930s, PJS concerts were broadcast nationally on the CBS Radio Network
. In 1956 and 1958 both NBC and CBS transmitted broadcasts of the orchestra's programs across the United States, and three transcribed programs were broadcast overseas from Voice of America
in Washington, D.C. Gershkovitch was also responsible for adding a Preparatory Orchestra (later renamed the Conservatory Orchestra) due to increased membership. Gershkovitch tried to incorporate at least one American composition in each concert. Gershkovitch had a distinctive personality and way with words, using expressions such as "More nicely, can't you more?" and "Debussy is beauty, French beauty" (as recollected in one former student's diary). For twenty-five years, David Campbell served as Master of Ceremonies
for the Children's Concerts since Gershkovitch "never gained a command of English sufficient enough for public use". Gershkovitch's often-quoted philosophy was that he did "not teach music" but, but rather he taught "young people through music". Though there were times he desired to conduct professional ensembles, Gershkovitch's primary concern was educating the youth. Apart from music education, Gershkovitch stressed the importance of proper conduct, manners, and "values in life and art" in order to build character. Following Gershkovitch's death in 1953, guest conductors lead the orchestra for its thirtieth season—one conductor was Jacob Avshalomov
, a Columbia University
teacher and PJS alumnus who had studied under Gershkovitch while a student at Reed College
(1939–1941).
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who became the first music director of the Portland Junior Symphony (America's first youth orchestra, now known as the Portland Youth Philharmonic
Portland Youth Philharmonic
The Portland Youth Philharmonic is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony . Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910 when music teacher Mary V. Dodge began playing music for local children in Burns...
). Born to a musical family in Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
, Gershkovitch was sent to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in his late teens to study at the Imperial Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
, where he learned from respected Russian composers. In 1913 he graduated with the title of "laureate" and honors in flute
Western concert flute
The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
and conducting, and was awarded the Schubert Scholarship for a year of study under German conductor Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch ; 12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London and - most importantly - Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. However, Gershkovitch's studies with Nikisch were shortened due to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Gershkovitch returned to Irkutsk to enlist
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
and by 1916 he had become head of the Imperial Russian Army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
's military symphony orchestra. He held this position through the revolution and following the war as concerts were often presented as benefits for orphans and the Red Cross
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
.
Gershkovitch married in Irkutsk in 1918. There, he established a fine arts conservatory and symphony orchestra which continued under the Bolshevik regime. In 1921, he and his wife crossed the border in China to escape from Russia. Ballerina Anna Pavlova offered Gershkovitch the assistant conductor position with her orchestra, which was touring throughout the Orient. Gershkovitch remained in Japan to lead the newly-organized Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. However, the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
disrupted the organization and caused Gershkovitch and his wife to emigrate to the United States.
The couple arrived in San Francisco in November 1923 and made their way to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in 1924. There, Gershovitch was approached by Mary Dodge and two of her students to lead the Portland Junior Symphony. Known for his discipline and high performance standards, Gershkovitch conducted the orchestra for twenty-nine years, gaining national attention for the ensemble and pioneering the youth orchestra movement, until his death in 1953.
Early life and education
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
family in Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
near Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. His father, an amateur violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist "who made up in enthusiasm what he lacked in skill", and mother had seven children, six of which became professional conductors or singers. Chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
was a common activity in the household. Gershkovitch was sent to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in his late teens to study at the Imperial Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
. The 4,000-mile (6,400 km) journey took two weeks via the newly-constructed Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
, and Gershkovitch arrived with "17 rubles in his pocket and his flute under his arm", where he auditioned and was awarded a scholarship. There he learned from respected Russian composers such as Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...
, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
and Nikolai Tcherepnin
Nikolai Tcherepnin
Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He was born in Saint Petersburg and studied under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory...
, and completed coursework in opera and ballet production. To pay his own expenses, and to assist those of two of his siblings who were also studying at the Conservatory, Gershkovitch performed with bands and orchestras. This delayed his undergraduate work, but in 1913 he graduated with the title of "laureate" (the conservatory's highest honor) with honors in flute
Western concert flute
The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
and conducting, and was awarded the Schubert Scholarship for a year of study under German conductor Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch ; 12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London and - most importantly - Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. However, this period was shortened due to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and Gershkovitch returned to Irkutsk to enlist
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
.
Early career
In 1916, Gershkovitch became head of the Imperial Russian ArmyImperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
's military symphony orchestra, a position he held through the revolution. Army duties continued after the war as concerts were often given as benefits for orphans and the Red Cross
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
, and it was during this period that Gershkovitch would meet his future wife Lucia. Then an engineer working on a construction project near Habarovsk, she had previously been a piano student at the Conservatory during the same period Gershkovitch was there. However, before 1917 the two had never met. In 1918 the couple married in Irkutsk. There he organized a fine arts conservatory and symphony orchestra. The institute was successful, and by 1920 enrollment had reached more than 1,550 students. Following a successful take over of the city by the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s, Gershkovitch conducted bands for funeral services under the new regime. During a service rehearsal, Gershkovitch removed a man causing numerous interruptions—as a result Gershkovitch was commanded to visit the Cheka
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
, the presiding chief of which was the victim of the previous day's incident. However, the chief was a devotee of music and requested that Gershkovitch produce a grand opera, providing a collection of musical instruments previously confiscated by the Bolsheviks. Gershkovitch's conservatory, orchestra and newly-established opera continued under the Bolshevik regime.
Relocation to Portland, Oregon
Once living conditions deteriorated, Gershkovitch traveled to Chita and obtained permission to visit VladivostokVladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
via Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. After crossing the border to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1921, he remained in Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
where he met Lucia, who had also escaped from Russia. Together they made their way to Tientsin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
where they met and became close friends with composer Aaron Avshalomov
Aaron Avshalomov
Aaron Avshalomov was a Russian-born Jewish composer.Born into a Mountain Jewish family, he was sent for medical studies to Zürich. After the October Revolution, in 1917, which made further studies in Europe impossible, his family sent him to the United States...
. When ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
Anna Pavlova heard that Gershkovitch had escaped from Russia, she offered him an assistant conductor position with her orchestra, which was touring throughout the Orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
. Following three months of touring, Gershkovitch settled in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to undertake the newly-organized Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under the patronage of Baron Okura, a wealthy nobleman and relative of the Mikado
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
. The orchestra's premiere concert took place at the Imperial Hotel auditorium; many concerts followed and were well-received until the Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
of 1923 "disorganized all the business and musical interests of they city". Gershkovitch and his wife, guests at Baron Okura's home, endured the earthquake for six days before leaving for Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
. With assistance from Americans, the Norwegian consul, and financial aid from Baron Okura, the couple left for San Francisco, arriving in November 1923. Following the advice of San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
conductor Alfred Hertz
Alfred Hertz
Alfred Hertz , a German conductor born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. As a child, he contracted infantile paralysis and walked with a cane after that....
, Gershkovitch and his wife made their way to Portland, Oregon in 1924. It was here that Gershkovitch was approached by Mary Dodge and two of her students to lead the Portland Junior Symphony (PJS). He taught flute and conducted the Ellison-White Conservatory's student orchestra, at the time directed by Jacob Avshalomov
Jacob Avshalomov
Jacob Avshalomov is a Jewish American composer and conductor.-Early life and education:Jacob Avshalomov was born on March 28, 1919 in Tsingtao, China. His father was Aaron Avshalomov, the Siberian-born composer known for "oriental musical materials cast in western forms and media"; his mother was...
, until PJS duties required his full attention.
Portland Youth Philharmonic
Under conductor Gershkovitch's leadership, the Portland Junior Symphony (now known as the Portland Youth PhilharmonicPortland Youth Philharmonic
The Portland Youth Philharmonic is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony . Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910 when music teacher Mary V. Dodge began playing music for local children in Burns...
) was founded in late-1924 as the first youth orchestra in the United States. The symphony performed for the first time on February 14, 1925 at the Lincoln High School Auditorium (which later became Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
's Lincoln Hall
Lincoln Hall (Portland, Oregon)
Lincoln Hall is a building containing a theatre and classrooms at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. It was originally home to Lincoln High School.-History:...
), playing two movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
of Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
's Unfinished Symphony
Symphony No. 8 (Schubert)
Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor , commonly known as the "Unfinished Symphony" , D.759, was started in 1822 but left with only two movements known to be complete, even though Schubert would live for another six years. A scherzo, nearly completed in piano score but with only two pages...
. Legend says that at the ensemble's first rehearsal Gershkovitch introduced the composition and stated "You play, or I keel you" in his heavy accent. Concert attendees reportedly surged the stage after the concert to congratulate the musicians, Gershkovitch and Dodge, who was present and called to the stage. One reviewer for the Oregon Sunday Journal wrote the following day that the "audience that almost filled the auditorium to capacity broke into storm upon storm of applause". According to Ronald Russell, author of A New West to Explore (1938), the audience "had experienced a new emotional thrill, and forthwith became strong advocates and supporters of the junior symphony cause."
Gershkovitch, known for his discipline and high performance standards, conducted the orchestra for twenty-nine years, gaining national attention for the ensemble and pioneering the youth orchestra movement. By the 1930s, PJS concerts were broadcast nationally on the CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
. In 1956 and 1958 both NBC and CBS transmitted broadcasts of the orchestra's programs across the United States, and three transcribed programs were broadcast overseas from Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
in Washington, D.C. Gershkovitch was also responsible for adding a Preparatory Orchestra (later renamed the Conservatory Orchestra) due to increased membership. Gershkovitch tried to incorporate at least one American composition in each concert. Gershkovitch had a distinctive personality and way with words, using expressions such as "More nicely, can't you more?" and "Debussy is beauty, French beauty" (as recollected in one former student's diary). For twenty-five years, David Campbell served as Master of Ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
for the Children's Concerts since Gershkovitch "never gained a command of English sufficient enough for public use". Gershkovitch's often-quoted philosophy was that he did "not teach music" but, but rather he taught "young people through music". Though there were times he desired to conduct professional ensembles, Gershkovitch's primary concern was educating the youth. Apart from music education, Gershkovitch stressed the importance of proper conduct, manners, and "values in life and art" in order to build character. Following Gershkovitch's death in 1953, guest conductors lead the orchestra for its thirtieth season—one conductor was Jacob Avshalomov
Jacob Avshalomov
Jacob Avshalomov is a Jewish American composer and conductor.-Early life and education:Jacob Avshalomov was born on March 28, 1919 in Tsingtao, China. His father was Aaron Avshalomov, the Siberian-born composer known for "oriental musical materials cast in western forms and media"; his mother was...
, a Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
teacher and PJS alumnus who had studied under Gershkovitch while a student at Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
(1939–1941).
See also
- List of Jews born in the former Russian Empire
- Military history of the Russian Empire
- Music education for young childrenMusic education for young childrenMusic education for young children is an educational program introducing children in a playful manner to singing, speech, music, motion and organology. It is a subarea of music education.- Forms and activities :...
- Music education in the United StatesMusic education in the United StatesMusic education in the United States can be traced through historical documentation to the colonial era. Among the Native Americans prior to European and African settlement, music education was entirely oral.- History :...
- Music of RussiaMusic of RussiaMusic of Russia denotes music produced in Russia and/or by the Russians. Russia is a large and culturally diverse country, with many ethnic groups, each with their own locally developed music...
External links
- Portland Youth Philharmonic: The History of America's First Established Youth Orchestra
- "Dancin' in the Rain: A Bit of Portland Dance History – 1900 to 1954 from the Oregon Cultural Heritage CommissionOregon Cultural Heritage CommissionThe Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission is a non-profit organization based in the U.S. state of Oregon. The commission was formed in 1991 in order to discover and commemorate important literary and cultural contributions to Oregon's history. The group does this through publications and other...
- "Portland Hill Walks: Twenty Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods" (Laura O. Foster, 2005), includes Gershkovitch's house