Elliot Forbes

He attended Harvard, receiving a BA in 1941 and an MA in 1947, both in music; he studied with Walter Piston, and while he was a graduate student, he was assistant conductor of the Harvard Glee Club.

He was the chief conductor of the Harvard Glee Club and Radcliffe Choral Society from 1958 to 1970; his students included Isaiah Jackson, now director of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, and William Christie, founder and director of the European baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants.

He was on the boards of the New England Conservatory, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, whose piano is dedicated in his honor.

[1] He received Harvard's Alumni Medal in 1991 and an honorary doctorate in 2003.

Right up to his death, he remained an unflagging supporter of undergraduate performers, frequently attending events at which he was the only faculty member present.