Danenberg, Emil

Summary: Emil Danenberg was born in Hong Kong in 1917. He performed various concerts starting in 1950 and was active in chamber music. Danenberg also served as both Dean of Oberlin Conservatory of Music (1944) and President of Oberlin College. Emil Danenberg died in 1982.

Full History: Emil Danenberg was born in Hong Kong in 1917. His initial studies were with his father, a graduate of the Leipzig Conservatory. After his family emigrated to Los Angeles in 1926, Danenberg continued his piano studies with Abby De Avirett and Edward Steuermann while also studying theory with Arnold Schoenberg. Danenberg received B.A. and A.M. degrees from UCLA and honorary degrees from Marietta College and Franklin College. He made his New York debut in 1950 followed by a Town Hall recital in 1953 in which he played a diverse program ranging from Bach to Kirchner. Concerts followed in Darmstadt, Salzburg, Vienna, Graz and throughout the United States and Canada. Danenberg maintained an active chamber music career, collaborating with violinists Matthew Raimondi, Stuart Canin and Andor Toth, and cellist Pierre Fournier.

Danenberg commenced a long association with Oberlin College in 1944 by joining the piano faculty. He served as the Dean of the Conservatory of Music, and later was appointed President of Oberlin College. As an administrator, Danenberg was responsible for expanding and diversifying Oberlins curriculum to encompass new courses and majors in early music, jazz and ethonomusicology. Emil Danenberg died in 1982.

Emil Charles Danenberg was born in Hong Kong on July 30, 1917. He came to the United States in 1926 and was naturalized in 1941. He received the A.B. in Music in 1942 from the University of California at Los Angeles and the A.M. in 1944 from the same institution. He made his concert debut in 1922 and his New York debut in 1950. In 1944, he joined the faculty of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, reaching the rank of Professor in 1960. From 1970 to 1971, he served as Acting Dean of the Conservatory. He was named Dean in 1971, a post he held until 1975 when he became the eleventh President of Oberlin College. He served ably until cancer of the liver forced him to take a leave of absence in September of 1981. He died on January 16, 1982 at age 64.