Elinor Armer facts for kids

Elinor Armer (born October 6, 1939) is an American pianist, music educator (someone who teaches music) and composer (someone who writes music). She is known for her beautiful compositions and for helping many students learn about music.

Elinor Armer's Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Elinor Armer was born in Oakland, California. When she was just two months old, her family moved to Davis, California. Her father was an engineer who worked for the university in Davis. He was also an acoustical engineer, meaning he studied sound. He often set up speakers in their living room, which introduced Elinor to the world of sound from a very young age.

Elinor's family loved music. Her father's background meant there were many hymnals (songbooks) in their home. This helped Elinor learn to read music and enjoy four-part harmony early on. She started playing the piano when she was eight years old. Her mother also played the piano, and they often sang and played together.

Learning to Play the Piano

Even though her mother played, Elinor's first piano teacher was a neighbor named Fritz Berens. Her early lessons focused on "ear training" (learning to recognize music by listening) and "dictation" (writing down music after hearing it). These lessons helped her love music even more and inspired her to become a composer.

Elinor says that some big influences on her music were being in a rhythm band in kindergarten, listening to the radio, and hearing the records her family played at home.

Elinor Armer's Education Journey

Elinor graduated from Davis High School in 1957. Later, she was even inducted into the Davis Senior High School Hall of Fame!

She went on to Mills College, where she first explored different subjects before choosing music composition. Her piano teacher, Alexander Libermann, greatly influenced her decision to pursue music. He was a very popular professor who gave many lectures on how to practice, play, and teach piano. Elinor earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961.

She continued her studies at the University of California, Berkeley and then at California State University, San Francisco. She earned her Master of Arts degree in composition in 1972. During her studies, she learned from famous composers like Darius Milhaud and Leon Kirchner.

Elinor Armer's Career in Music

Elinor Armer has traveled all over the United States and other countries to perform her music. She writes many different kinds of music, from pieces for a full orchestra to solo performances. Many of her compositions, like "Promptu" and "Etude Quasi Cadenza," were written for the pianist Lois Brandwynee.

Elinor is also very well-known for her work in music education. She was a key figure at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In 1985, she founded the Composition Department there, helping many young composers learn and grow. She taught students at the Conservatory until her retirement in 2025. Even after retiring from the Conservatory, Elinor continues to teach piano, composition, music history, and music theory from her home studio in Berkeley, California.

She also helped start an organization called Composers, Inc., which supports composers. Her important papers and musical works are kept at the UC Berkeley Music Library.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Elinor Armer has received several awards and honors for her contributions to music:

• The Norman Fromm Composer's Award
• Fellowships from places like the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Djerassi Foundation. These fellowships allow artists to have time and space to create.
• The Gerbode Foundation New Music Composition Award (1991)

Elinor Armer's Works and Recordings

Elinor Armer has created many interesting musical pieces. One special project was a multi-part fantasy series she worked on with author Ursula K. Le Guin. This series is called Uses of Music in Uttermost Parts and has been recorded.

While she was a student at Mills College, Elinor recorded her professor Alexander Libermann's lectures. After he passed away, Elinor and others put these lectures together into a book called “A Comprehensive Approach to the Piano.” This book helps others learn about playing the piano.

Discography (Music Albums)

Elinor Armer's music has been featured on several albums:

• Music of Darius Milhaud (2004) – An audio CD featuring Elinor Armer and other artists.
• Armer: Uses of Music in Uttermost Parts/Falletta (1995) – A two-CD set featuring Elinor Armer's work, including her collaboration with Ursula K. Le Guin.
• Sonata for Cello and Piano, Opus 11, Works for Cello and Piano (2000) – An audio CD that includes Elinor Armer's compositions alongside other composers.