Taylor, Helen, 1915-1950

Helen Taylor (1915-1950) was a pianist, composer, and faculty member at the Columbia Teachers College and McCune School.

Helen Taylor was born in 1915 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She studied piano at the McCune School of Music, after which she completed a Master's degree at Columbia University. She was on the faculty at Columbia Teachers College in the Fall of 1941 to the Spring of 1942. She attended Julliard from 1942-1945, which is where she composed her first symphony. It was also here that she met her future husband, Grant Johannesen, who was a worldclass concert pianist. Taylor and Johannesen were married and returned to Utah in 1946. The couple had one son, David. She later started working as a teacher for the McCune School and continued composing. She was recognized for her violin sonata in 1948 with a National Association of Composers and Conductors Award. She died on October 5, 1950 in a car accident.

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