archival collections

Educating artists of the future depends on careful preservation of our musical and cultural past.

The Colburn School is proud to play an active role in archiving a number of special collections.

the herbert and trudl zipper archives

Herbert Zipper was deeply involved with the development of the Colburn School. Now, the School is home to the Zipper Archive, containing materials from the lives of Herbert and his wife, Trudl Dubsky Zipper, for whom Colburn’s Dance Institute is named.

A Save America’s Treasures

Grant is funding efforts to digitize the materials, which date from approximately 1900–1997 and include Herbert Zipper’s handwritten letters describing his experience at Buchenwald concentration camp, identification papers from the Nazi regime, original manuscripts, photographs, extensive audiovisual materials, objects, and art from Herbert and Trudl’s travels around the world.

The grant, with a match from individual philanthropist Ann Moore, was awarded by the National Park Service in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Piatigorsky Archives

The Colburn Library holds a remarkable personal collection from renowned cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. Handwritten manuscripts offer a peek into his musical perspective. Other artifacts include scores, audio recordings, photographs, books, clippings, and programs. Personal items, such as drafts of his autobiography and correspondence with the greatest performers and composers of his day, construct a fuller understanding of Piatigorsky as an individual.

As a founding member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, James Arkatov’s legacy can still be heard from the stage. However, his photographs reveal a more intimate glimpse of the performing arts world. He captured portraits of celebrated artists, including Isaac Stern, Igor Stravinsky, and Yo-Yo Ma. Arkatov’s family recently presented the School with more than 300 of his photos for display on campus, inspiring students and faculty as they pass through the halls.

Standing in the space where master violinist Jascha Heifetz crafted music generates its own exciting energy. The Colburn School is privileged to be the home of the Jascha Heifetz studio, relocated from its original location in West LA. The redwood retreat was carefully dismantled after his death and eventually reassembled at Colburn. The studio contains many of Heifetz’s personal belongings and is used daily by Robert Lipsett, the Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair at Colburn, allowing students to experience the legendary musician’s legacy.

recovered voices

Colburn continues its support of the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices, led by Artistic Director James Conlon. The initiative strives to cultivate greater awareness of composers whose careers and lives were lost at the hands of the Nazi regime. Through performances, recordings, lectures, educational opportunities, competitions, and online content, Recovered Voices shares these artists with the world, so that they are not lost to history.

In addition to performances on the Colburn campus, events featuring Recovered Voices composers took place at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Holocaust Museum LA, and Mondavi Center at the University of California in Davis during the 2022–23 season.

“The musicians wonderfully succeed in extracting the vibrant energy from the music and transforming it into rousing sounds. Each piece sounds like a freshly created work.”

Shapeshifter Release

This fall, the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices released Shapeshifter , an album featuring the music of Erwin Schulhoff. A powerful and amazingly varied composer, Schulhoff, was suppressed by the Nazi regime and died in captivity in 1942.

Featuring performances by James Conlon and students and alumni from Colburn, the album received critical acclaim with particular praise for pianist and Colburn alumnus Dominic Cheli and Recovered Voices Program Manager and Conservatory violin student Adam Millstein. It was also highlighted in an album launch event at Colburn, where students brought Schulhoff ’s pieces to life for a modern-day audience.