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[Specified item], Pamela Gearhart Papers, 1956-1993, Music Library, The State University of New York at Buffalo.
Acquisition InformationGift of Pamela Gearhart 2007.
Terms of AccessMaterials can be examined by qualified researchers in the Music Library during hours of operation during which Music Librarians are present. In order to insure access, researchers are advised to contact the Music Library in advance of visits.
CopyrightCopyright for the materials in the collection does not reside with the Music Library. Therefore, patrons wishing to publish any item, or part of an item from this collection for any purpose, are responsible for securing requisite permissions.
Processing InformationProcessed by Gabrielle A. Carlo 2012.
Accruals and AdditionsNo further accruals are expected to this collection.
Pamela Gearhart (née Gerhart) was born July 21, 1934 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. She began her musical training with her father, violinist and conductor, Russell Gerhart. Russell Gerhart studied violin with Ralph Lewando, Carl Malcherek, Elias Breeskin, and Mischa Mischakoff. He studied conducting with Serge Koussevitsky at the Berkshire Music Center. Gerhart and his wife Martha formed the Gerhart String Ensemble in Altoona, Pennsylvania, which grew into the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. He also served as conductor of the Saint Louis Philharmonic and Huntsville (Alabama) Civic Symphony.
When Pamela Gearhart was fifteen she began five years of study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her violin teachers before and after her years at Curtis were Mischa Mischakoff, Joseph Knitzer, Ivan Galamian and Efrem Zimbalist. While at Curtis she performed in the Curtis Orchestra under conductors Alexander Hilsberg and William Smith, and studied chamber music performance with Karen Tuttle and Marcel Tabuteau.
Gearhart was appointed faculty member in the University of Buffalo Music Department in 1957. Initially she was hired as a part-time instructor in violin but eventually assumed other duties, including conducting the university's orchestra and directing the program in chamber music performance. She continued to work at the University at Buffalo until 1975.
While in Buffalo Gearhart also served as conductor of the Community Music School of Buffalo's youth orchestra 1959-1977. The membership in the orchestra grew from ten to more than one hundred while she was conductor. Her credentials as a music educator also include work on the faculty at Villa Maria Institute of Music (Buffalo) 1963-1965, serving for six years as Alexander Schneider's assistant for the University at Buffalo's String Institute, numerous positions as guest conductor and judge at music festivals, and director of the Youth Makes Music String Workshop (Huntsville, Alabama). After leaving the University at Buffalo she joined the faculty at Ithaca College where she taught 1975-1993. In 1980 she founded the Ithaca Youth Orchestra. She continued as its conductor until her retirement from Ithaca College.
Pamela Gearhart married fellow University at Buffalo music faculty member Livingston Gearhart in 1955. They were frequent collaborators on programs and projects. Livingston wrote many musical arrangements geared specifically to the pedagogical needs of Pamela's ensembles. Many of these arrangements and compositions survive in the Livingston Gearhart Score Collection.
The Pamela Gearhart Papers contain brief biographical data, including a biographical summary from 1967, and curriculum vitae from 1971. Also included are clippings, programs, and correspondence. Clippings and programs extend from 1956-1982 and reflect Gearhart's work with the Community Music School of Buffalo, the University at Buffalo Orchestra, the Villa Maria Music Institute, her performances as a member of the Buffalo Fine Arts Quartet, and various other performances. One folder contains programs and clippings chiefly about Livingston Gearhart. Two folders contain documents pertaining to the Youth Makes Music String Workshop that was held in Alabama 1972-1981, a string camp established in memory of Russell Gerhart.
The collection is arranged in four series:
|
I Biographical documents,
1967-1971
Folder 1-4 |
||
|
Arranged in chronological order. |
||
| Box | Folder | Contents |
| 1 | 001 | Biographical summary,
1967 1 leaf |
| 1 | 002 | Curriculum vitae,
1971 7 leaves |
| 1 | 003 | Professional profile,
1971 2 leaves |
| 1 | 004 | Profile of University and Community Music School of
Buffalo orchestras written by Pamela Gearhart,
1972 5 leaves |
|
II Correspondence,
1962-1993
Folder 5-40 |
||
|
Arranged alphabetically by author's name with a file of Christmas cards at the end. |
||
| Box | Folder | Contents |
| 1 | 005 |
Albrecht, Milton C., 1904-:
January 16 1967 1 leaf |
| 1 | 006 |
Baird, Jane:
May 16 1993 5 leaves |
| 1 | 007 |
Bellissimo, Ruth W. on behalf
of the
Community Music School of
Buffalo:
March 26 1972 1 leaf |
| 1 | 008 |
Blackhurst, James:
May 19 1974,
May 16 1975, and
July 20 1979 3 leaves |
| 1 | 009 | Buffalonian, SUNY at Buffalo Yearbook, written by Pamela
Vespucci:
July 5 1972 1 leaf |
| 1 | 010 |
Carlton House Nursing Home (Buffalo, N.Y.),
written by Lena Lenar Horowitz:
December 5 1967 1 leaf |
| 1 | 011 |
Buffalo Area Council of
Churches, written by David F. Cox:
April 30 1968 1 leaf |
| 1 | 012 |
Deutsch, Harry, for the
New York State Council on the
Arts:
December 28 1967 1 leaf |
| 1 | 013 |
Foss, Lukas, 1922-2009:
March 22 1967 1 leaf |
| 1 | 014 |
Glickman, Loren:
May 6 1993 2 leaves |
|
Correspondence from Livingston and Pamela Gearhart to Glickman
about a program honoring Alexander Schneider.
|
||
| 1 | 015 |
Haas, Dorothy M.:
April 28 1967 1 leaf |
| 1 | 016 |
Haasler, George:
June 26 1970 1 leaf |
| 1 | 017 |
Hay, Bill:
March 27 1962 1 leaf |
| 1 | 018 |
Henderson, Skitch, 1918-2005:
November 23 1966 1 leaf |
| 1 | 019 |
Herr, Samuel L., Director of
the Community Music School of Buffalo:
March 17 1969 1 leaf |
| 1 | 020 |
Hutchins, Carleen Maley, for
the
Catgut Acoustical Society:
June 13 1968 1 leaf |
| 1 | 021 |
Kroyt, Sonja:
undated 1 leaf |
| 1 | 022 |
Levick, Irving:
January 16 1967 1 leaf |
| 1 | 023 |
Levine, George R.:
May 10 1976 1 leaf |
| 1 | 024 |
Nagaard, Richard on behalf of the National School Orchestra Association Bulletin: November 18 1972 1 leaf |
| 1 | 025 |
Negris, Van C.:
February 21 1964 1 leaf |
|
Letter addressed to Livingston Gearhart.
|
||
| 1 | 026 |
Newell, Frederick, on behalf
of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Amherst (New York). Music Committee:
February 2 1968 1 leaf |
| 1 | 027 |
Niagara County Community
College:
December 20 1967 2 leaves |
| 1 | 028 |
Sapp, Allen, 1922-1999:
April 6 1965 2 leaves |
|
Letter addressed to University at Buffalo administrator, Myles
Slatin, regarding report by Pamela Gearhart about the University Orchestra and
Community Music School of Buffalo.
|
||
| 1 | 029 |
Schneider, Mischa, 1903-1985:
July 12 1973,
February 7 1984,
May 30 1985, and
undated 5 leaves |
|
Four postcards (two addressed to Livingston Gearhart) and one letter. One postcard contains information about photographs of Johannes Brahms in Livingston Gearhart's collection of photographs. |
||
| 1 | 030 |
Schneider, Alexander,
1908-1993:
November 17 1981, August 1 1987, July 20
1989 3 leaves |
|
One letter and postcard addressed to Livingston Gearhart. One letter addressed to Pamela Gearhart. |
||
| 1 | 031 |
Schulz, Robert F.:
May 4 1971 2 leaves |
| 1 | 032 |
Schultz, Gertrude, on behalf
of the Jewish Center of Buffalo:
March 26 1968 2 leaves |
| 1 | 033 |
Saint Mary's School for the Deaf
(Buffalo, N.Y.):
November 15 1971 1 leaf |
|
Signed by Sister Nora Letorneau and Sister Virginia Young. |
||
| 1 | 034 |
Sullivan, J. P. (John Patrick)
:
July 28 1975 1 leaf |
| 1 | 035 |
Thacker, Gale W., of Hodge
Inc. Florists:
May 28 1968 1 leaf |
| 1 | 036 |
Thomson, William, 1927-:
November 4 1975,
February 17 1976,
November 9 1976 3 leaves |
| 1 | 037 |
Thompson, Helen M. (Helen Mulford),
1908- , on behalf of the
New York Philharmonic:
May 10 1972 1 leaf |
| 1 | 038 |
Trotter, Herman:
July 20 1975 1 leaf |
| 1 | 039 |
Unitarian Universalist Church of Amherst
(Amherst, N.Y.):
December 16 1968,
January 6 1969,
November 24 1969 3 leaves |
| 1 | 040 | Christmas cards
1966-1973 14 leaves |
|
Christmas messages sent to University at Buffalo and Community Music School orchestras from Livingston and Pamela Gearhart. |
||
|
III. Clippings and programs,
1956-1982
Folders 41-349 |
||
|
Arranged chronologically. |
||
| Box | Folder | Contents |
| 1 | 041-044 |
May 16 1956-December 1956 4 folders |
| 1 | 045-051 |
August 5 1957-November 25 1957 7 folders |
| 1 | 052-057 |
April 15 1958-November 17 1958 6 folders |
| 1 | 058-067 |
March 11 1959-November 1959 10 folders |
| 1 | 068-076 |
January 10 1960-December 1960 9 folders |
| 1 | 077-083 |
January 15 1961-December 18 1961 7 folders |
| 2 | 084-094 |
January 15 1962-October 17 1962 10 folders |
| 2 | 095-103 |
January 14 1963-December 1963 9 folders |
| 2 | 104-114 |
February 1 1964-October 16 1964 11 folders |
| 2 | 115-125 |
January 17 1965-August 21 1965 10 folders |
| 2 | 126-138 |
February 1966-December 15 1966 13 folders |
| 2 | 139-164 |
January 14 1967-December 27 1967 26 folders |
| 2 | 165-188 |
March 2 1968-December 20 1968 24 folders |
| 3 | 189-210 |
February 21 1969-December 31
1969 22 folders |
| 3 | 211-231 |
February 1970-December 14 1970 21 folders |
| 3 | 232-246 |
March 20 1971-December 10 1971 15 folders |
| 3 | 247-269 |
February 15 1972-December 15
1972 23 folders |
| 3 | 270-298 |
January 27 1973-December 9 1973 29 folders |
| 4 | 299-321 |
January 1974-December 13 1974 23 folders |
| 4 | 322-340 |
January 26 1975-November 22 1975 19 folders |
| 4 | 341-347 |
May 23 1979-November 30 1979 7 folders |
| 4 | 348 |
1982 1 folder |
| 4 | 349 |
January 16 1956-April 17 1959 1 folder |
|
Clippings of Livingston Gearhart performances and programs. |
||
|
IV Youth Makes Music String Workshop documents,
1972-1981
Folders 350-351 |
||
|
Includes financial records of Youth Makes Music, Inc., programs, announcements, clippings, and lists of participants. |
||
|
Arranged chronologically. |
||
| Box | Folder | Contents |
| 4 | 350 |
1972-1975 1 folder |
| 4 | 351 |
1976-1981 1 folder |
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog.
Thirty photographs received with the collection were removed to form a separate collection.
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