Elaine Barkin

Elaine “Ray” Barkin (née Radoff, December 15, 1932 – February 22, 2023) was an American composer, writer, and educator. Early life Elaine Radoff was born in The Bronx, New York City, lived in the Amalgamated Houses, attended Bronx High School of Science, Third Street Music School Settlement, and Queens College (BA in 1954), where she studied composition and theory with Karol Rathaus, Sol Berkowitz, Leo Kraft, and Saul Novack. At Brandeis University (MFA in 1956, PhD in 1971), her mentors in composition and theory were Irving Fine, Harold Shapero, Arthur Berger, and Seymour Shifrin. In the summer of 1955 she worked with Boris Blacher at Tanglewood and then in 1956 and 1957 at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik on a Fulbright fellowship. In 1963, Barkin was asked by Benjamin Boretz, founding editor of the composers’ journal Perspectives of New Music, to join as editor, a post she held until 1985. Barkin published books and professional articles in journals including Perspectives of New Music. Personal life and death In 1957 she married writer, editor, and computer programmer George J. Barkin (1928–2020). They had three sons: Victor, Jesse, and Gabriel. Works Principal compositions *Four