Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Item
Title
Oral history interview with Ariel Rubstein [Sound recording 02]
Date(s)
- 1978-08-16 (Creation)
Extent
Audiocassette; 00:14:47
Name of creator
Biographical history
Ariel Alfred Rubstein, né Rubshteyn, was born in what is now Kiev, Ukraine, in 1899 or 1901. He and a sister, born two years apart, were registered as twins after his birth. Rubstein was never certain whether his birth year was 1899 or 1901, but used 1901 on official documents. As a child, he studied music at the Kiev Conservatory. In 1919, he left Kiev during the Russian Revolution. He traveled first to Constantinople, Turkey (now Istanbul), and applied for a visa to the United States. It was denied, and he spent the next several years traveling and playing music in Europe. Eventually, he received word that his visa had been approved, and he arrived in New York, New York, in 1922. He spent the next 14 years as a concert pianist and music instructor in New York. In 1936, he relocated to Portland, Oregon. The next year, he and Margaret Eleanor Reed were married; they later had three children. He was director of the Portland School of Music and helped to develop the Opera in the Park program. He founded the Portland Civic Opera and West Coast Opera Theater. In 1959, he founded Celebrity Attractions, which produced concerts, operas, and musicals in Portland. He died in 1997.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Tape 1, Side 2. This oral history interview with Ariel Rubstein was conducted by Charles Digregorio in Portland, Oregon, on August 16, 1978, as part of the Oregon Historical Society's oral history program.
In this interview, Rubstein discusses leaving Kiev, Russia (now Ukraine), during the Russian Revolution and his journey to Portland, Oregon. He talks about playing music in Constantinople, Turkey (now Istanbul), and in Berlin, Germany, while awaiting approval for his U.S. visa. He then talks about his career in music in Portland, Oregon, including his work with the Portland School of Music, developing the Opera in the Park program, and producing concerts, operas, and musicals through his business, Celebrity Attractions. He closes the interview by reflecting on his accomplishments and by talking about his future musical plans.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Ariel Rubstein. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- eng
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Digregorio, Charles (Contributor)