Jones, Charles, 1910-1997

Charles Jones was born in Tamworth, Ontario, Canada on June 21, 1910. At the age of ten he moved to Toronto where he studied the violin and theory. In 1928 he went to New York and studied violin at the Institute of Musical Art with Sascha Jacobson graduating in 1932. In 1935 Jones entered the Juilliard School on a fellowship where he studied with Bernard Wagenaar and graduated in composition in 1939. He was then sent by the Juilliard School to teach at Mills College, California, there he met fellow teacher, the French composer Darius Milhaud. This began a thirty year collaboration between them, first at Mills College, then at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and finally at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. Milhaud retired from teaching in America in 1969 and Jones continued at the Aspen Festival as composer-in-residence until 1989. In 1946 he and his wife moved from California to New York. He began teaching at the Juilliard School in 1954 and later at the Mannes College of Music. Two short periods were spent teaching at the Salzburg Seminar in Austria and at the Bryanston School in England. In spite of teaching, Jones considered himself first and foremost a composer. He composed ninety works for many combinations, including four symphonies, string quartets, numerous vocal scores and many other. After composing in a neo-Classical style, he developed a complex mode of expression notable for its chromaticism. His music has been played by the New York Philharmonic, the NBC Symphony, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC, the Suisse Romanne Radio among others. Charles Jones died on June 6, 1997.

Despite his prolific output, Canadian-born American composer and music teacher, Charles Jones (1910-1997), perhaps is best known for his long association with the Juilliard School and the Mannes College of Music in New York City.

Born in Tamworth, Ontario, Jones moved to Toronto at the age of ten, where he studied the violin and theory. In 1928, he went to New York and studied violin at the Institute of Musical Art with Sascha Jacobson, graduating in 1932. In 1935, Jones entered the Juilliard School on a fellowship; he studied compostion with Bernard Wagenaar and graduated in 1939. He was sent by the Juilliard School to Oakland, California to teach at Mills College, where he met the French composer Darius Milhaud. The two men collaborated on several projects over the course of a long friendship, including residencies at the Aspen Music Festival. In 1946, Jones returned to New York. He began teaching composition at the Juilliard School in 1954, and later at the Mannes College of Music (from 1972). In spite of his dedication to teaching, Jones considered himself first and foremost a composer. He composed over ninety works, including four symphonies, several string quartets, and numerous vocal works.