Collection Guide
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Jones (Elayne) Collection
ARS.0230
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Archive of Recorded Sound
Title: Elayne Jones Collection
Identifier/Call Number: ARS.0230
Physical Description:
21 box(es)
21 box(es)
Date (inclusive): 1940-2022
Open for research; material must be requested at least five business days in advance of
intended use. Contact the Archive of Recorded Sound for assistance.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Elayne Jones Collection was acquired by the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound from the
estate of Elayne Jones in 2022.
This collection is organized into eight series: Legal files; Manuscript drafts; Programs
and promotional material; Clippings, daily planners, journals and notebooks; Music scores;
Correspondence; Photographs; and Sound and moving image recordings.
Elayne Viola Jones (January 30, 1928 – December 17, 2022) was an American timpanist, music
teacher, activist, and author. Jones was a pioneer in breaking through institutional racial
and gender barriers within the American symphonic and orchestral profession. She became the
first Black opera orchestra member in a major American orchestra in 1949, the first
documented Black musician to play with the New York Philharmonic in 1958, and the first
Black principal in a major American orchestra in 1972.
Jones received a Bachelor of Music degree in percussion performance from The Juilliard
School of Music in 1949 under the mentorship of Saul Goodman and Morris Goldenberg. Her
career as a professional timpanist spanned forty-nine years and included performances with
the New York City Orchestra (1949–1960), the San Francisco Symphony (1972–1974), and the San
Francisco Opera (1975–1998).
In 2019, Elayne Jones became the fourth female member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall
of Fame and published an autobiography, Little Lady with a Big Drum.
Elayne Jones Collection (ARS.0230). Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University
Libraries, Stanford, CA.
This collection includes journals, diaries, legal files, recorded sound, music scores,
clippings, photographs, correspondence and personal notes dating 1940–2020. Elayne Jones
created and amassed the materials as a timpanist and percussionist with ensembles primarily
in New York City and San Francisco. Included are detailed personal datebooks in which Jones
chronicled her daily activities, thoughts and experiences over most of her adult life,
including extensive commentary on the proceedings surrounding a lawsuit she brought against
the San Francisco Symphony in 1974.
All requests to reproduce, publish, broadcast, or otherwise use collection materials must
be submitted in writing to the Head Librarian, Archive of Recorded Sound, Braun Music
Center, Stanford, California 94305. Consent is given on behalf of the Archive of Recorded
Sound as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s)
or assigns.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Music -- California -- San Francisco
Symphonies
Drummers (Musicians)
Women musicians -- United States
African Americans musicians.
Stanley, Cheryl