Ellison-White Conservatory of Music
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The Ellison-White Conservatory of Music was a music conservatory in Portland, Oregon, United States, associated with the Ellison-White Lyceum and Chautauqua Association.[1] The conservatory advertised itself as "answering a need" for a "Standard Conservatory of the Fine Arts" on the U.S. West Coast.[2]
The conservatory opened in 1918 in the Broadway Building, subsequently relocating to northeast Portland. In 1927, the conservatory constructed the nine-story Studio Building in downtown Portland, after which it formally closed some time in the 1940s.
Founded by J.R Ellison and Clarence White, the Ellison-White Conservatory was originally located in the Broadway Building in downtown Portland,[3] and held its first classes on September 9, 1918.[3] The conservatory was associated with the Ellison-White Lyceum and Chautauqua Association, which had originated in Boise, Idaho.[4]
The conservatory advertised itself as answering a need for a "Standard Conservatory of the Fine Arts" on the U.S. West Coast.[2] By 1920, the conservatory had relocated from the Broadway Building to a location on Everett Street in northeast Portland.[2][5] In 1922, the conservatory expanded its voice department.[6] In 1927, the conservatory constructed the historic nine-story Studio Building in downtown Portland, located at SW 9th and Taylor, relocating their operations there.[7] The Studio Building had more than 100 rehearsal studios, sound-proof walls, and was attached to the 450-seat Guild Theatre.[8]
The conservatory was closed by the Ellison-White Lyceum and Chautauqua Association some time in 1940s after the Great Depression, though the exact date is unknown.[a]
Notable people
Alumni
- Walter Chappell, photographer[14]
- Beverley Peck Johnson, vocal coach
- Helen Kleeb, actress[15]
- Jeanette Loff, film actress, singer, and organist[16]
Faculty
- Pauline Alderman, musicologist[17]
- Jacques Gershkovitch, flautist and conductor[18]
