Johannesen, Grant

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Grant Johannesen played with several orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, and at Carnegie Hall. His major interests were the works of French compsers, such as Gabriel Fauré, whose entire body of work he eventually recorded.

From the description of The Grant Johannesen papers. 1955-1998. (University of Utah). WorldCat record id: 228099897

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.

Grant Johannesen (1921-2005) was a prominant Mormon and American pianist and pedagogue.

Grant Johannesen was born on July 30, 1921 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He started learning the piano when he was five after being discovered to be imitating a piano teacher and playing by ear. Between the years 1941 and 1946, he studied with Robert Casadesus at Princeton University and with Egon Petri at Cornell University. He also took courses in composition with Roger Sessions and Nadia Boulanger.

He made his concert debut in New York in 1944. In 1949, he won first prize at the Ostend Concours Internationale, which started his international career. He went on tour both as a soloist as part of an orchestra and as an indvidual performer. He toured Europe with Dimitri Mitropoulos and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1956 and 1957, and then toured Europe with Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra in 1968. He was a frequent soloist with both the Cleveland Orchestra and Utah Symphony Orchestra. Grant Johannesen was particularly well know for his performances of American and French music, and recorded the complete piano works of Gabriel Fauré. He also composed some piano works. From 1960 to 1966 Grant Johannesen taught at the Aspen (Colorado) Music School, and in 1973 he became music consultant and adviser of the Cleveland Institute of Music. He later served as music director at the Cleveland Institute of Music from 1974 to 1977, and finally as its president from 1977 to 1985. He taught at the Mannes College of Music in New York and at the Salzburg Mozaneum.

Grant Johannesen was married to the composer Helen Taylor (whose works for piano were among his recordings) from 1943 until her death in an automobile accident in 1950. He was married to his second wife, the cellist Zara Nelsova (with whom he sometimes performed), from 1963 until their divorce in 1973. From his first marriage, he had a son, David Johannesen. He died on March 27, 2005.

From the guide to the Helen Taylor papers, 1937-2003, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

Grant Johannesen (1921-2005) was a prominant Mormon and American pianist and pedagogue.

Grant Johannesen was born on July 30, 1921 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He started learning the piano when he was five after being discovered to be imitating a piano teacher and playing by ear. Between the years 1941 and 1946, he studied with Robert Casadesus at Princeton University, and with Egon Petri at Cornell University. He also took courses in composition with Roger Sessions and Nadia Boulanger.

He made his concert debut in New York in 1944. In 1949, he won first prize at the Ostend Concours Internationale, which started his international career. He went on tour both as a soloist as part of an orchestra, and as an indvidual performer. He toured Europe with Dimitri Mitropoulos and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1956 and 1957, and then toured Europe with Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra in 1968. He was a frequent soloist with both the Cleveland Orchestra and Utah Symphony Orchestra. Grant Johannesen was particularly well know for his performances of American and French music, and recorded the complete piano works of Gabriel Fauré. He also composed some piano works. From 1960 to 1966 Grant Johannesen taught at the Aspen (Colorado) Music School, and in 1973 he became music consultant and adviser of the Cleveland Institute of Music. He later served as music director at the Cleveland Institute of Music from 1974 to 1977, and finally as its president from 1977 to 1985. He taught at the Mannes College of Music in New York and at the Salzburg Mozaneum.

Grant Johannesen was married to the composer Helen Taylor (whose works for piano were among his recordings) from 1943 until her death in an automobile accident in 1950. He was married to his second wife, the cellist Zara Nelsova (with whom he sometimes performed), from 1963 until their divorce in 1973. From his first marriage, he had a son, David Johannesen. He died on March 27, 2005.

From the guide to the Grant Norman Johannesen autobiography, 2006, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Casadesus, Robert, 1899-1972. 2è sonate, op. 31 / Robert Casadesus. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Grieg, Edvard, 1843-1907. Concerto pour piano en la mineur, opus 16 [Multimédia multisupport] / Edvard Grieg, comp. ; Grant Johannesen, p ; Orchestre symphonique de l'Utah ; Maurice Abravanel, dir. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Nicolas Slonimsky Collection, 1873-1997, (bulk 1920-1990) Library of Congress. Music Division
creatorOf Johannesen, Grant. The Grant Johannesen papers. 1955-1998. University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library
creatorOf Grant Norman Johannesen autobiography, 2006 L. Tom Perry Special Collections
creatorOf Grieg, Edvard, 1843-1907. Peer Gynt, suites d'orchestre n °1 et n °2 [Multimédia multisupport] / Edvard Grieg, comp. ; Orchestre symphonique de l'Utah ; Maurice Abranavel, dir. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn The Papers of Vladimir and Wanda Toscanini Horowitz., 1784-1991 Irving S. Gilmore Music Library
referencedIn Koussevitzky, Serge, 1874-1951. Serge Koussevitzky Archive, 1920-1976 (bulk: 1924-1951) Library of Congress. Music Division
referencedIn Horowitz, Vladimir, 1903-1989. The papers of Vladimir and Wanda Toscanini Horowitz, 1784-1991 (inclusive). Yale University, Music Library
referencedIn Harkins, Elizabeth R. Steinway oral history, 1974-1981 (inclusive). Yale University Library
creatorOf Helen Taylor papers, 1937-2003 L. Tom Perry Special Collections
creatorOf Grieg, Edvard, 1843-1907. Concerto pour piano en la mineur, opus 16 [Multimédia multisupport] / Edvard Grieg, comp. ; Grant Johannesen, p ; Orchestre symphonique de l'Utah ; Maurice Abravanel, dir. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf MS 14557, Cannon, Tracy Young 1879-1961. Tracy Y. Cannon papers 1899-1961 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf Grieg, Edvard, 1843-1907. Peer Gynt, suites d'orchestre n °1 et n °2 [Multimédia multisupport] / Edvard Grieg, comp. ; Orchestre symphonique de l'Utah ; Maurice Abranavel, dir. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn The Bell Telephone Hour collection of sound recordings [sound recording], 1940-1968 The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
creatorOf Taylor, Helen, 1915-1950,. Helen Taylor papers. Harold B. Lee Library
creatorOf Johannesen, Grant. Miscellaneous papers. Jacksonville University, Carl S. Swisher Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Cannon, Tracy Young 1879-1961 person
associatedWith Casadesus, Robert, 1899-1972. person
associatedWith Horowitz, Vladimir, 1903-1989. person
associatedWith Horowitz, Wanda Toscanini. person
correspondedWith Koussevitzky, Serge, 1874-1951 person
associatedWith Slonimsky, Nicolas, 1894-1995 person
associatedWith Taylor, Helen, 1915-1950, person
associatedWith University of Utah. Libraries. Manuscripts Division. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
United States
Subject
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Music
Pianists
Piano
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1921-07-30

Death 2005-03-27

Americans

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