The Elayne Jones Collection is now available for research. The finding aid for the collection is available at the Online Archive of California. The collection includes journals, diaries, legal files, recorded sound, music scores, clippings, photographs, correspondence, and personal notes dating 1940–2020.
The Elayne Jones Collection chronicles the life and work of Elayne Viola Jones (January 30, 1928 – December 17, 2022), an American timpanist, music teacher, activist, and author. Jones was a pioneer in breaking through institutional racial and gender barriers within the American symphonic and orchestral profession. She became the first Black opera orchestra member in a major American orchestra in 1949, the first documented Black musician to play with the New York Philharmonic in 1958, and the first Black principal in a major American orchestra in 1972.
Her career as a professional timpanist spanned forty-nine years and included performances with the New York City Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and the San Francisco Opera.
The Archive of Recorded Sound (ARS) is open to all researchers. To access this and other ARS collections, please email the ARS at least three business days in advance of the visit.