Interview Date: November 26 and December 14, 2012
Conservatory Affiliation: Son of Albert Elkus, Conservatory Director from 1951-1957
Interviewers: Sam Smith and Tessa Updike

Jonathan Elkus was born in San Francisco and attended UC Berkeley and Stanford. He taught largely at Lehigh University and from 1992 through 2002 served as lecturer and director of bands at UC Davis. His visiting appointments include the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Yale School of Music. He was arranger for the Goldman Band and frequent guest conductor at their summer concerts in Central Park. In 1984 Jonathan established Overland Music Distributors, a publishing group, and now serves as consultant to Subito Music Corporation, its successor. He is an editor of the Charles Ives Society's critical editions of the complete works and has transcribed works of Ives for the U.S. Marine Band. In 2002, Jonathan was presented with the Edwin Franko Goldman Memorial Citation of the American Bandmasters Association in recognition of his contribution to bands and band music in America. Jonathan and his wife Mickey live in Oakland.

Jonathan was our first participant in the Conservatory's Oral History Project. We at the Conservatory are forever thankful for Jonathan's generosity of time, knowledge and memories.

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Topics

Early Years
Music Education
Professional Career
Family Friends
Ada Clement and Lillian Hodghead
Ernest Bloch
House in Mill Valley
Conservatory Locations
Albert's Retirement from the University of California
Albert's Pupils
Albert's Relationship with Faculty
Attempted Merger with the University of California
Conservatory Faculty Members
Giulio Silva
Griller Quartet
Early Music at the Conservatory
Robin Laufer
Milton and Peggy Salkind
Albert's Retirement from the Conservatory
Albert's Life as a Composer
Reflections

Audio

Albert’s friends: scholars and artists

How Albert and Elizabeth met

Kurt Herbert Adler

Early music at the Conservatory

Appreciation of the Conservatory