Warren, Elinor Remick (1900–1991)

American composer and pianist. Born Elinor Remick Warren in Los Angeles, CA, Feb 3, 1900; died April 27, 1991; dau. of Maude Remick Warren (amateur pianist) and James Garfield Warren (businessman); studied piano with Kathryn Cocke and Olga Steeb; studied theory and harmony with composer Gertrude Ross; after attending Mills College, studied in NY with Frank LaForge, Ernesto Beruman, and Clarence Dickenson; studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, 1959; m. Raymond Huntsberger (physician), 1925 (div. 1929); m. Z. Wayne Griffin (producer in radio, film, and tv), 1936 (died 1981).

While still a schoolgirl, wrote "A Song of June," which was accepted by NY publisher Schirmer; toured as accompanist for opera star Florence Easton; often performed with Lawrence Tibbett and Richard Crooks; occasionally appeared as a soloist with symphony orchestras and made piano recordings for Okeh label; premiered 1st orchestral work, The Harp Weaver, set to a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Antonia Brico (1936); premiered The Legend of King Arthur (1940), conducted by Britain's Albert Coates with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which was also broadcast over Mutual radio network; composed some of her most important works (1940s–50s), among them The Sleeping Beauty, The Crystal Lake, Along the Western Shore, Singing Earth, Transcontinental, Suite for Orchestra and Abram in Egypt; had triumphant premiere of Requiem (1966) at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles (1966); produced several additional major works (1970s), including Symphony in One Movement and Good Morning, America!, for chorus, narrator and orchestra.

See also Women in World History.