Peter Elkus

Peter Elkus (born in 1939 in San Francisco, California) is a voice teacher giving master classes for both singers and instrumentalists.

Contents

• Peter elkus vocal and instrumental master classes trailer
• The telling of our truths peter elkus
• References

His classes have been presented in 10 countries including University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, the Munich State Opera, the Accademia Musicale Ottorino Respighi in Assisi and Rome, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

He was asked to assume the vacancy created by the death of his teacher, Sebastian Engelberg at the Mannes College of Music where he was listed on the faculty for over a decade. He has been judge of the Regional Auditions of the Metropolitan Opera and President of the panel of judges for the Richard Wagner Foundation, Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires.

He has authored the well received book The Telling of Our Truths - The Magic in Great Musical Performance (published in 2007; revised in 2009) with comments by Gerald Ginsberg (Composer and poet), Dr. Charles Kaufman (former President Mannes College of Music), Dalton Baldwin (Pianist, accompanist, coach, educator and recording artist), Jean Luc Vannier (psychoanalyst, music critic and lecturer) Mut Asheru (Editor in Chief Unsigned, The Magazine) and Shinji Eshima (instrumentalist and composer with affiliations with the San Francisco Ballet and Opera Orchestras, San Francisco State University and San Francisco Conservatory of Music).

As a student, he attended opera workshops at the Goldovsky Opera Workshops, Denver Colorado and Wheeling West Virginia; Mannes College of Music New York, Hunter College New York and was chosen by Maria Callas as a member of the Juilliard Opera Theater.

He met his former wife and student Frederica von Stade at Mannes College in 1967. They married in 1973, have two daughters and divorced in 1990. He taught Ms. von Stade 1975–1985 during the absences, illnesses and the eventual death (1979) of their teacher Sebastian Engelberg. During this time in addition to many international prizes, the recordings of Ms. von Stade garnered one Grammy and 11 Grammy Nominations (8 in the category of Best Classical Vocalist).

In the Opera News article "Flicka in ¾ time", Donald Spoto referred to Elkus’ influence on von Stade as having …"guided her through the thickets of an expanding repertory and a demanding worldwide schedule."

In the case Elkus v. Elkus, 572 N.Y.S.2d 901 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991) Elkus was defendant in a dispute with von Stade over marital property and earnings. The case is often used as case study in property class during the first year of law school.