Born: 23 February 1900, United States
Died: 27 April 1991
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Elinor Huntsberger, Elinor Griffin
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
1900, Feb. 23 Born, Los Angeles, Calif., the only child of James Garfield and Maude Remick Warren
1905 Began piano lessons with Kathryn Montreville Cocke
1908 Began piano lessons with German pianist Thilo Becker
1912 Traveled abroad for seven months with her family
circa 1916 Began studying theory and harmony with pianist-composer Gertrude Ross
circa 1917 Began studying harp
1918 June Graduated Westlake School for Girls, Los Angeles, Calif.
1918, July 8 Received first music publisher’s contract, from G. Schirmer, Inc., for A Song of June
1918-1919 Studied composition with Ross and piano with Olga Steeb
Attended master classes with Leopold Godowsky and Harold Bauer
Performed at recitals throughout southern Calif.
1919 Sept. Entered Mills College, Oakland, Calif., as a music major
1920 Completed freshman year at Mills College
Traveled to New York City for advanced music studies
1920-1925 Studied piano accompaniment and song repertoire with Frank La Forge; orchestration, counterpoint and the larger orchestral forms with Dr. Clarence Dickinson; piano performance and accompaniment with Ernesto Berumen and Paolo Gallico
1922 Eleven songs and choral pieces published by various major music publishing firms
1922-1926 Metropolitan Opera singers began to feature her art songs in their concert performances
1923, Jan. 17 Piano accompanist for Metropolitan Opera contralto Margaret Matzenauer at Carnegie Hall
1923, Aug. 14 Piano soloist with Los Angeles Philharmonic, at the Hollywood Bowl
1923, Nov. 19 Pianist with the Zoellner String Quartet, Los Angeles, Calif.
1923 Recorded two selections from her repertoire, Papillons (Ole Olsen) and Country Dance, no. 1 (Beethoven) for Okeh Records
1923-1927 Toured as piano accompanist for soprano Florence Easton
1923-1940s Traveled on nationwide tours as accompaniment and assisting artist with Margaret Matzenauer, Florence Easton, Grete Stueckgold, Julia Clauson, Lucrezia Bori, Richard Crooks, and Lawrence Tibbett
1925 Feb. Appeared in concerts with Florence Easton, as accompanist and soloist; Easton featured several of Warren’s art songs
1925, June 17 Married physician Raymond Huntsberger (divorced 1932)
1925 Recorded eight more selections from her repertoire for Okeh Records
1926, Jan. 24 Appeared as piano soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
1927, Apr. 4 Son James born
1932, May 19 Cecilian Singers premiere Warren’s The Harp Weaver, Los Angeles, Calif.
1935 Began work on a choral symphony, originally titled The Passing of King Arthur
1936, Mar. 16 Elected to membership in ASCAP
1936, Dec. 12 Married Z. Wayne Griffin (died 1981)
1938, Feb. 2 Son Z. Wayne, Jr. born
1938-1939 Hosted a weekly radio music program over the Mutual Don Lee Network
1939, Mar. 18 Premiere of The Fountain, by the Pasadena Civic Orchestra, Pasadena, Calif.
1940, Mar. 21 World premiere of The Passing of King Arthur, by Los Angeles Oratorio Society and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; broadcast nationwide over the Mutual Broadcasting System
1941, Aug. 8 Sir John Barbirolli conducted the Intermezzo from The Passing of King Arthur, Los Angeles, Calif.
1941, Nov. 10 Elected to membership in Delta Kappa Gamma Society, Xi Chapter, Calif.
1941, Nov. 22 Daughter Elayne Remick born
1946, Mar. 21 Premiere of The Crystal Lake, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
1949, Feb. 12 Father died
1950 Family purchased Rancho Corona del Valle, a 500-acre ranch in the High Sierras
Husband raised race horses
1952, May 30 Premiere of Singing Earth, by the Ojai Festival Chamber Orchestra
1953 Received “Woman of the Year” award from Los Angeles Times Extended trip to Europe
1954, June 13 Honorary doctorate of music degree in recognition of achievements as a composer, Occidental College, Los Angeles, Calif.
1954, Oct. 31 Premiere of Along the Western Shore by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
1955, Mar. 3 Premiere of Suite for Orchestra by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
1958, Jan. 20 Mother died
1958, May 20 Premiere of Transcontinental, by the Occidental College Orchestra
1958, Aug. 30 Premiere of The Chandler Theme for the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles Philharmonic
1959 Mar.-May Studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris
1961 Only female composer to receive recognition at the first Los Angeles International Music Festival
1961, June 7 Premiere of Abram in Egypt, at the First International Los Angeles Music Festival
1961, Sept. 27 Awarded first prize for composition (first place: choral music) and second place at the entire competition for Abram in Egypt at the Gedok International Competition for Women Composers, Mannheim, Germany
1962-late 1980s Received ASCAP’s annual award for “writer members of the Society whose catalogs have a unique prestige value.”
1963 Works prominently featured in an exhibit on contemporary composers presented by the New York Public Library
1963, Apr. 28 Premiere of Sonnets for Soprano and String Orchestra, by the N.A.A.C.C. Symphony, Los Angeles, Calif.
1963, May 17-18 Received “Tie, first place-instrumental category” for The Lake at Evening, and “Tie, first place in the song category” for A Joyful Song of Praise by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., Midwest Regional Conference
1963, Aug. 10 Premiere of Our Beloved Land by the Jack Halloran Singers, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
1963 Fall Abram in Egypt released by Composers’ Recordings, Inc. (CRI 172), with Roger Wagner Choraleand the London Philharmonic Orchestra
1964 Apr. Received “First place, Small chorus category” for A Joyful Song of Praise by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., Biennial Convention, Washington, D.C.
1966, Apr. 3 World premiere of the Requiem, Los Angeles Master Chorale and Sinfonia Orchestra
1966, Apr. 16-20 Awarded “1st prize, Sacred choral competition” for My Heart is Ready by the National League ofAmerican Pen Women, Inc., National Biennial Convention, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Awarded “1st prize, Collection of children’s songs” category by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., National Biennial Convention, Tulsa, Oklahoma
1967 Attended 80th birthday celebration for Nadia Boulanger in Monte Carlo
1969 Honored by the New York Public Library in its exhibit “Contemporary Women Composers in the United States”
1970, Dec. 6 Premiere of Stanford University commission Symphony in One Movement, with the Stanford Symphony
1970 Accepted commission from Occidental College
1971 Warren traveled to Europe, Moscow, and Paris, where she was feted by Nadia Boulanger
1972 Elected life member of the National Federation of Music Clubs
1972 Apr. Awarded “2nd prize, Vocal solo (art song) category” for At the Crest by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., National Biennial Convention, Washington, D.C.
1973 Traveled to Central and South America, South Africa, Zululand, Swaziland, and Portugal
1974 Changed the title of The Passing of King Arthur to The Legend of King Arthur
Awarded “1st place prize Collection of children’s songs category” for Songs for Young Voices by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., National Biennial Convention
Awarded “second prize, Sacred or secular choral competition for 4-part voices category” for Let the Heavens Praise Thy Wonders; and “2nd place prize, Sacred or secular choral competition for 3-part voices category” for Now Welcome, Summer! by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., National Biennial Convention
Traveled to Europe and “Iron Curtain” countries; met with Boulanger in Paris
1975 Traveled to England
1976, Nov. 21 Premiere of National Endowment for the Arts fellowship work Good Morning, America! by the University Chorale, the University Symphony, California State University, Fullerton, Calif.
1976 Awarded “Composer of the Decade for 1976” by the National Association of Teachers of Singing
Awarded two 1st place prizes for Night Rider and This is the Day! by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., National Biennial Convention
Traveled to Israel for a series of performances of Abram in Egypt, at the Israel Music Festival
1977 First performance with a large professional orchestra and chorus of Good Morning, America! by the Honolulu Symphony and Chorus
Traveled to Europe, during which Warren met for the last time with 89-year-old Nadia Boulanger
1978 Awarded two 1st place prizes: Symphony on One Movement and We Two; second prize for The Fountain; and honorable mention for God is My Song! by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., National Biennial Convention
Revised The Singing Earth
1980 Awarded two 1st place prizes: Suite for Orchestra and Light the Lamps Up!; honorable mention for Silent Noon by the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., National Biennial Convention
1981 Composed Now Thank We All our God and Praises and Prayers
1981-1990 Composed new works, and corrected, edited, and revised old works
1982 Published Selected Songs by Elinor Remick Warren. New York: C. Fischer
1984 Composed Now Welcome, Summer!
1985 Composed On the Echoing Green
1987, Sept. 2 Interviewed on radio program New York and Company, WNYC-AM
1987 Cambria Records issued first recording in series Art Songs by Elinor Remick Warren devoted to major concert songs, orchestral and choral-orchestral works
1989 July Good Morning, America!, recorded in Poland by Cambria Records, was broadcast throughout Poland over Polish Radio
1989 Nov. Cambria Records issued the second recording in the series, titled Good Morning, America!
The Legend of King Arthur recorded in Poland by Cambria Records and broadcast throughout Poland over Polish Radio by the Polish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
1990, Feb. 24 Interviewed on Chicago radio by Bruce Duffie on the occasion of her 90th birthday
1990 Apr. Radio documentary on Warren’s life and work completed for broadcast on classical radio stations nationwide
1990, Oct. 16 Interviewed by Marilyn Horne for a half-hour television special paying tribute to women composers
1990 Oct. Cambria Records produced documentary on Warren An American Composer: The Legacy of Elinor Remick Warren
1990 Composed her last works The Lake at Evening and Songs from Country Places
Completed final editing of recording of The Legend of King Arthur
1991, Feb. 18 KPFK-FM, Los Angeles broadcast tribute to Warren
1991 Mar. Bonnie Grice, morning host on KUSC-FM, Los Angeles, broadcast tribute to Warren Requiem, recorded in Krakow by Cambria Records, broadcast throughout Poland over Polish Radio
Cambria Records issued third recording in the series, titled The Legend of King Arthur
1991, Apr. 27 Died of pancreatic cancer, Los Angeles, Calif.
1992 Cambria Records issued fourth recording in the series, titled Requiem
1995, Aug. 26 British premiere of Legend of King Arthur, at the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival, by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Festival Chorus
2000, Mar. 17-20 Elinor Remick Warren Centenary Celebration, Washington, D.C