Physical description
1 drop front box containing 13 folders; includes ten paper files and three comprised of photographs.
Provenance
Gift of Daniel Antoun’s long-time friend, Cecile Zorach, 2013.
Biographical sketch
Daniel Benjamin Antoun was born on April 10, 1927. By the age of ten, Antoun had founded a neighborhood youth orchestra and his first chamber orchestra at sixteen. He attended NEC for one year in 1949-1950. While in Boston, he studied conducting with Serge Koussevitzky and Richard Burgin and directed a community chorus and orchestra. For two years he served overseas as a music director for the Voice of America and when he returned to the States Antoun founded the Contemporary Baroque Ensemble which presented concerts in the New York area. He was also music director, principal conductor and founder of the Talin Music Festival in the Berkshires.
He passed away at his gallery and residence, the Denver (PA) Fine Arts Gallery. At this gallery, Antoun exhibited his collection of 19th—20th century paintings. He was skilled at canvas restoration and custom framing and was a talented artist in his own right. A man of many talents, Antoun was also a restauran teur, antique clock restorer, antiques and art dealer, Antoun also loved gardening and tango dancing which led to several trips to Buenos Aires. Daniel had a son Benjamin and two daughters, Wendi and Tanya.
Access
Access is arranged by making an appointment with the NEC Archivist. There are no restrictions pertaining to this collection.
Copyright
Please contact the NEC Archivist for publication permissions. Citation should read: NECA 18.2 Daniel Antoun Papers, New England Conservatory Archives, Boston, MA.
Scope and Content
The Daniel Antoun Papers date from 1956-2013 (Bulk, 1960-1968) and is organized into the following six series:
- Correspondence
- Concert programs
- Clippings
- Business records
- Photographs
- Miscellaneous
The first series, Correspondence, is the largest in the collection and is organized alphabetically by the sender’s last name. Each folder is organized chronologically when possible. The date range of the correspondence is primarily 1960-1963. Included in the folder labeled “Other” are two letters concerning the donation of this collection to NEC in 2013. Correspondents include Henry Cowell, Marcel Grandjany, Roy Harris, Douglas Moore and Vincent Persichetti. The majority of the letters focus on concert scheduling and repertoire planning (most likely for Antoun’s Contemporary Baroque Ensemble). There are also a few pieces of correspondence that can be described as recommendation letters for Antoun.
The second series, Programs, only includes three programs – two from the “Talin Music Festival”(Lenox, MA) from July 1968 and one from the Duluth Symphony from April 1969.
The third series in this collection contains newspaper clippings that date from 1956-1968. Topics include Antoun’s Contemporary Baroque Ensemble and the Talin Music Festival.
Series four includes records from Antoun’s business as a violin and bow dealer in New York in 1965-1966. These records include business cards, inventories, and correspondence.
There are three folders of photographs in the fifth series. The first contains several 5 x 7 photos taken by Mario Jorrin. The second folder contains many 8 x 10 photos taken by Walter Hilton Scott, Stockbridge, MA. The last folder contains the rest of the photographs where the photographer is unknown. The subjects of these photographs are primarily Daniel Antoun, both portrait and conducting photos; Images of orchestral ensembles playing ; and individual instrumentalists.
Lastly, the sixth series contains a bit of handwritten biographical information concerning Daniel Antoun as well as description of policies and procedures for orchestras that Antoun is conducted.
Container List
Series 1: Correspondence
Folder 1 – Henry Cowell
Folder 2 – Marcel Grandjany
Folder 3 - Roy Harris
Folder 4 – Douglas Moore, Columbia
Folder 5 – Vincent Persichetti
Folder 6 – Other
Series 2: Programs
Folder 7 – Programs
Series 3: Clippings
Folder 8 – Clippings
Series 4: Business records
Folder 9 - Daniel Antoun – Violins and Bows
Series 5: Photographs
Folder 10 – Photographs, Mario Jorrin
Folder 11 – Photographs, Walter Hilton Scott
Folder 12 – Photographs, Other
Series 6: Miscellaneous
Folder 13 - Miscellaneous