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.

The Maurice Abravanel papers (1890s-1996) is comprised of various materials that illustrate the personal and professional life of one of the world's most respected and revered conductors.

The collection has been divided into eight sections. The first section contains personal materials dealing with Abravanel and his career, such as educational records, personal notes, contracts, and repertoire lists. Biographical sketches detailing the lives of Abravanel's ancestors as well as his own life are included. Box three contains programs, scrapbooks, and speeches from activities honoring Abravanel. Transcripts from interviews and interview programs are held in box four. In addition, there are materials concerning Lucy Abravanel, her first marriage to Albert Carasso, and their two children, Pierre and Roger Carasso.

The second section contains correspondence files. It has been divided into personal and professional correspondence, and has been arranged chronologically. The personal correspondence relates primarily to Lucy, her first husband, and their children. There is also a small amount of correspondence to Abravanel from his first wife, Friedel, and a few miscellaneous letters. The professional correspondence is the larger of the two sections. These letters detail circumstances and events pertaining to Abravanel, his career, his involvement with the Utah Symphony, and other orchestras and institutions.

Financial materials comprise the third section of the collection. These materials detail miscellaneous expenses as well as music bills, royalties, and travel expenses. There are also bank statements, cancelled checks, and income tax materials. Some of these materials have been restricted.

Boxes 24-28 contain material pertaining to the Utah Symphony. Files concerning symphony operations such as board meetings, contracts, salaries, grants, reviews, tours, and other materials may be found in this section. Research materials and rehearsal information on the works of Gustav Mahler may be found in box 27. Box 28 contains materials concerning the Utah Symphony Guild.

Section five contains programs Abravanel collected during his career as a conductor. The regular season programs of the Utah Symphony have been arranged chronologically and date from the late 1930s through his years as conductor, until his retirement in 1979. Boxes 47-48 contain programs with Abravanel as a guest conductor, and have been arranged alphabetically by theater or function. The miscellaneous programs have no apparent significance to Abravanel's career, but most likely are concerts he attended, and have been alphabetically arranged as well.

The institutional files document an important period of Abravanel's life in his service on councils for the arts both locally and nationally. Materials from the Utah Arts Council, National Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, American Symphony Orchestra League, and American Arts Alliance illustrate Abravanel's determination to increase local and national support for the arts. These files contain legislative reports, minutes, correspondence, and grant information.

The seventh section of the collection has been arranged chronologically and contains local and national newspaper and magazine articles. Also included in this section are scrapbooks of newsclippings that were assembled by Lucy and Maurice. Many of the original books were copied and discarded because of the deteriorating physical condition of the materials. The clippings concern Abravanel's career, the Utah Symphony, and include reviews, concert information, and other related topics.

The eighth and final section consists of articles and publications, artist management files, score catalogs, librettos, composers, orchestras, foundations, societies, and awards. Also included are the files from the Van Cliburn and Gina Bachauer competitions, for which Abravanel served as a jury member. Also in this section are some miscellaneous pieces of music, including some works by Kurt Weill.

Other materials have been added to the collection and include sketches, articles, programs, sheet music, correspondence, personal and family materials, pamphlets, subject files, and oversize items.

Restrictions on Access:

Twenty-four hours advance notice encouraged. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Acquisition Information:

Boxes 1-97 were donated in 1987 (48 linear feet).

Boxes 98-104 were donated from 1989 to 1992 (5.25 linear feet).

Boxes 105-126 were donated in August 2000 (12 linear feet).

Box 127 was donated in May 2005 (0.5 linear foot).

Processing Note:

Processed by Karin Hardy in 1988.

Addendum processed by Lisa DeMille in 2005.

Creator:

Abravanel, Maurice, 1903-1993

Language:

Materials are in English, German, and French.

Quantity:

65.75 linear feet

Language of the Finding Aid:

Finding aid encoded in English.

Author of the Finding Aid:

Finding aid preapred by Karin Hardy

EAD Creation Date:

2005

Subarea: