Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1665 - 2016 (Creation)
- Creator
- Jacques Israelievitch
Physical description area
Physical description
9.144 m of textual records
1,330 photographics
1,084 prints (603 col. and 151 b&w, 327 digital, 2 col. framed, 1 b&w framed)
203 negatives (19 col. and 184 b&w)
26 col. transparencies
17 b&w contact sheets
1,332 audio recordings
1 open reel : 1/4 in. ; audio
178 audio cassettes
2 records
1 optical disc : MiniCD ; audio
1 optical disc : CD ; audio
727 digital files : .wav files
282 digital files : .mp3 files
72 video recordings
47 video cassettes : VHS
2 video cassettes : Video8
6 video cassettes : MiniDV
16 optical discs : DVD ; video
1 USB drive
34 graphic materials
Posters
Lithograph print
1 artwork
Multimedia collage
4 objects
Card case
T-shirts
External hard drive
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The rare public figure to be named both a Member of the Order of Canada and an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France, Juno Award-nominated musician Jacques Israelievitch left an indelible impression on the music scene, both within and beyond the borders of Toronto. Perhaps best known for his two decades serving as concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra – the longest tenure for that position in the organization’s history, running from 1988 to 2008 – Israelievitch also head significant conducting roles with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (assistant concertmaster, 1972-1978) and St. Louis Symphony (concertmaster, 1978-1988). Joining the former at the age of 23, he was the youngest member in the company’s history.
Israelievitch was a prolific artist, performing on more than 100 recordings and working with a number of distinguished artists, including Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, and Yo-Yo Ma. Perhaps one of his most special musical partnerships was his son Michael, a percussionist with whom Jacques combined to form the Israelievitch Duo. In this pairing of generations, one might ascertain a sense of the joy that the elder Israelievitch received from translating his personal skill to the world of teaching. Within the Toronto context, he held faculty positions at University of Toronto, York University, and the Royal Conservatory of Music. He also led master classes at numerous institutions, including McGill University, University of California - Los Angeles, and University of Michigan. Never one to rest on his laurels, he also spent 16 summers teaching at New York’s Chautauqua Institution.
Around the time of his retirement in 2008, Israelievitch was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Toronto Musicians Associations, marking his distinguished career. True to form, he was creating right up until his 2015 death, at which time he was completing a final project, a comprehensive recording of the Mozart Sonatas and Variations. His legacy lives on through the Jacques Israelievitch Endowment for Violin/Viola and Interdisciplinary Arts, established posthumously by York University.
Custodial history
Scope and content
This fonds consists of 14 series, divided by subject and format. They are: Personal Files & Ephemera, Video, Audio, Jacques Israelievitch - 50th Birthday Concert, Sheet Music & Scores, Professional Files, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Institution: Chautauqua School of Music, Postcards, Art Gallery & Exhibition Card Announcements, Correspondence, Press & Promotional, Programs & Reviews, and Artwork & Posters.
The first series, Personal Files & Ephemera, includes agendas, books, guest books, rehearsal schedules, tour books, photographs, correspondences, T-shirts, business cards, magazines, photo CDs, and a personal hard drive. It also contains condolences related to, and a DVD recording of, Israelievitch's funeral.
The second series, Video, includes concert performances, rehearsal videos, prepared remarks for a speech to the Alliance française, and photographs. One video documents a Toronto Symphony Orchestra strike; another commemorates Israelievitch's 2008 retirement.
The third series, Audio, includes concert performances, university master class recordings, radio dubs. Some performances were taped at University of Toronto's Hart House; some others were taped with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
The fourth series, Jacques Israelievitch - 50th Birthday Concert, includes photographs, concert programs, scrapbooks, invitation flyers, and handwritten letters. It also contains books containing original music written by Danny Rubin, Ruth Watson Henderson, Raymond Luedeke, and R. Murray Schafer, specifically for the occasion.
The fifth series, Sheet Music & Scores, includes sheet music, scores, and related correspondences. It includes music written by Oskar Morawetz, passed down from Israelievitch's mentor Josef Gingold, as well as teaching materials given to master class pupils.
The sixth series, Professional Files, includes correspondences, photographs, copies of signed contracts, television programs, concert programs, festival programs, and résumés. It also contains materials related to master classes Israelievitch taught in Japan.
The seventh series, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, includes contracts, correspondences, photographs, newspaper profiles, concert programs, meeting agendas, and meeting minutes.
The eighth series, Chautauqua Institution: Chautauqua School of Music, includes contracts, correspondences, student evaluations, class rosters, newspaper clippings, thank you letters, and photographs of Israelievitch with students.
The ninth series, Postcards, includes blank postcards, postcard books, and postcard sets. Many of them are from his travels throughout Asia.
The tenth series, Art Gallery & Exhibition Card Announcements, includes art announcements, newsletters, brochures, newspapers, magazines, and art posters.
The eleventh series, Correspondence, includes holiday cards, birthday cards, thank you cards, correspondences with students, and French-language correspondences with family. Correspondences include letters from: The White House (Washington, D.C.); Arts & Letters Club of Toronto; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; Concul General of the Federal Republic of Germany; University of Toronto; and others.
The twelfth series, Press & Promotional, includes newspapers, magazines, program cover layouts, promotional photographs, posters, and postcards.
The thirteenth series, Programs & Reviews, includes newspaper and magazine clippings, concert programs, and correspondences.
The fourteenth series, Artwork & Posters, includes exhibition posters, concert posters, framed prints, and inkjet prints.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Preservation concerns may limit access, consult archivist.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Media Commons does not own copyright of collection materials. Consult rights holder for reproduction(s).
Finding aids
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals expected.