Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Jonathan L. Chenette Papers
Date(s)
- 1984 - 1996 (Creation)
- 1978 - 1996 (Creation)
Extent
2.00
Name of creator
Biographical history
Jonathan Chenette received his Master of Music from Butler University and his B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He began teaching at Grinnell College in 1983 and was promoted to Associate Professor of Music in 1989. He has served as Composer-in-Residence with the Cedar Rapids Symphony. As a composer and librettist he has also worked with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and has had works performed by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Symphony, and the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra. He has received grants, awards, and fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Italy, the American Music Center, the Iowa Arts Council, Grinnell College, and the Grinnell Area Arts Council.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The musical scores (and recordings of performances) were composed for a variety of institutions and occasions. A number of vocal and instrumental pieces were composed for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Grinnell, Iowa) and St. John’s Catholic Church (Indianapolis, Indiana).
The composition of the opera Eric Hermannson’s Soul (begun in 1986-87 and completed in 1993) was supported with fellowships from Grinnell College and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. The opera was first performed in Grinnell on September 11, 1993 and in Iowa City on September 24, 1993.
Oh Millersville, based on the poetry of Grinnell College alumnus James Norman Hall, was first performed on February 29, 1992 in Herrick Chapel with Amy Johnson, soprano, and Richard Gordon, piano. The 1991 orchestral version was commissioned by the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and was performed on February 22 & 23, 1992 with Kristie Tigges, soprano.
Out of the land premiered at the inauguration of Pamela A. Ferguson as the 11th President of Grinnell College, October 12, 1991. Text was by Associate Professor Paula V. Smith and by Grinnell President George F. Magoun. The Grinnell Singers performed the piece, conducted by John Stuhr-Rommereim.
Broken Ground was commissioned by the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission, and Grinnell College to honor the 150th anniversaries of the state of Iowa and of Grinnell College in 1996. The texts were composed by Iowa poets Michael Carey, Edward Hirsch, Dan Hunter, Paula V. Smith, Mary Swander, and Ray Young Bear. The world premier was in May 1996, performed by the Des Moines Symphony and The Grinnell Singers.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
These materials may be used in the Iowa Room only. Jonathan Chenette retains the copyright for all of his work, so no photocopies may be made of any scores. To obtain copies, consult Mr. Chenette. These materials may not be loaned on interlibrary loan unless permission has been given by the composer.
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Scripts of the material
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Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Donation
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Print materials and recordings were donated to the Archives by the composer from 1984 to 1986.
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
There are posters, programs, and newspaper articles regarding productions of Chenette’s work in the Archives (52 pC421 and 45.41 1992).
Related descriptions
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Specialized notes
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Subject access points
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Name access points
- Grinnell College (Subject)
- Grinnell College -- History (Subject)
- Hall, James Norman (Subject)
- Hunter, Dan (Subject)
- Johnson, Amy (Subject)
- Smith, Paula Vene (Subject)
- Swander, Mary (Subject)
- Young Bear, Ray A. (Subject)
- Grinnell College -- Faculty (Subject)
- St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Grinnell, Iowa) (Subject)
- Ferguson, Pamela A. (Subject)
- Magoun, George F. (Subject)
- Carey, Michael A., (Subject)
- Hirsch, Edward (Subject)