Christine Asdurian (born Armenia; February 17, 1893 – April 29, 1963) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

who composed the music to the University of Miami Alma Mater in 1926, (

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

by William Seth Lampe). She was enrolled as a music student at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

in 1926 and 1927 as one of its 646 first enrolled students. She studied piano with Earl Chester Smith. Bertha Foster, UM’s first music dean, also mentored Christine. Bowman F. Ashe, The University of Miami’s first president, was known to recruit her to perform in civic functions and donor appreciation events. At age 3, Asdurian traveled with her father, a clergyman, to the

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; he died soon after. She was adopted by two sisters, Sarah A. Thompson and Esther H. Thompson, of Litchfield, Connecticut, and her name was changed to Christine Oviatt Thompson. Asdurian attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

in Oberlin, Ohio,

Converse College Converse University is a private university in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse. It was originally a women's college but now admits ...

in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and earned an M.A. in

comparative literature Comparative literature studies is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across language, linguistic, national, geographic, and discipline, disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, New York in 1917. In 1924 and 1925, Asdurian was a staff pianist for

Gimbels Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the comp ...

, a

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chain, performing throughout the New York tri-state area for a recurring broadcast

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

on WEAF, WGBS, and WMCA. While a student at the University of Miami, Asdurian broadcast on WGBU and worked as a statistician with the Miami

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

. She also performed recitals, and composed

children's music Children's music or kids' music is music composed and performed for children. In European-influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has hi ...

. After attending the University of Miami, Asdurian returned to the New York area in 1928 and resumed her live radio performances until 1931. She then moved to Los Angeles and died there on April 29, 1963.California Death Index 1940-1997, Ancestry.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asdurian, Christine 1893 births 1963 deaths 20th-century American composers American people of Armenian descent 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American women composers