Eileen Malone (August 16, 1906 – 1999) 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 ...

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

ist and music educator.

Life and career

Malone was born in

Victor, New York Victor is an incorporated town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 15,969 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Claudius Victor Boughton, an American hero of the War of 1812. The Town of Victor con ...

, and studied harp at

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

, graduating in 1928. She continued her studies at the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

with

Marcel Tournier Marcel Lucien Tournier (January 5, 1879 – May 8, 1951) was a French harpist, composer, and teacher who composed important solo repertory for the harp that expanded the technical and harmonic possibilities of the instrument. His works are regula ...

and at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

with

Marcel Grandjany Marcel Georges Lucien Grandjany ( ) (3 September 1891 – 24 February 1975) was a French-American harpist and composer. Biography Early life Marcel Grandjany was born in Paris and began the study of the harp at the age of eight with Henriett ...

. In 1930 she joined the faculty of Eastman’s Preparatory Department and in 1936 became a Professor of Harp at Eastman School of Music. She continued to teach at Eastman until her retirement in 1989. She performed widely as a harpist and served for forty-three years as principal harpist for the

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. History George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Compan ...

, also performing on a number of recordings. In 1962 Malone was a founding member of the

American Harp Society The American Harp Society, Inc. (AHS) is a non-profit organization. Founded in 1962, the AHS is an organization of harpists with more than 3,000 members from all 50 states and 20 countries. The organization is currently led by President Lynne Aspnes ...

, and served on the board of directors from 1967–73 and from 1977–81. After her retirement, Malone worked to foster music in the public schools. She died after a stroke at age 92. A memorial scholarship was established at Eastman in her name. Notable students include Patrizia Tassini, harpist/composer Jessica Suchy-Pilalis, and Gretchen Van Hoesen (principle harpist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra).

Honors and awards

* Honorary doctorate from Nazareth College, 1992 * Musician of the Year, Rochester Chapter of

Mu Phi Epsilon Mu Phi Epsilon () is a co-ed international professional music fraternity. It was established as a music sorority in 1903 at the Metropolitan College of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. has over 75,000 members in 227 collegiate chapters and 113 alumni ...

, 1985 * Fanfare Award from the Rochester Philharmonic League, 1991

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Eileen 1906 births 1999 deaths American women harpists American women music educators Eastman School of Music alumni Juilliard School alumni Eastman School of Music faculty 20th-century American musicians People from Victor, New York Players of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra