Christine Asdurian Explained

Christine Asdurian (born Armenia; February 17, 1893  - April 29, 1963) was an American pianist who composed the music to the University of Miami Alma Mater in 1926, (lyrics by William Seth Lampe).[1] She was enrolled as a music student at the University of Miami in 1926 and 1927 as one of its 646 first enrolled students.[2] [3] [4] She studied piano with Earl Chester Smith. Bertha Foster, UM’s first music dean, also mentored Christine. Bowman F. Ashe, The University of Miami’s first president, was known to recruit her to perform in civic functions and donor appreciation events.[5]

At age 3, Asdurian traveled with her father, a clergyman, to the United States; he died soon after.[6] She was adopted by two sisters, Sarah A. Thompson and Esther H. Thompson, of Litchfield, Connecticut,[7] and her name was changed to Christine Oviatt Thompson.

Asdurian attended Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio,[8] Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina,[9] and earned an M.A. in comparative literature from Columbia University, New York in 1917.[10] In 1924 and 1925, Asdurian was a staff pianist for Gimbels, a department store chain, performing throughout the New York tri-state area for a recurring broadcast radio show on WEAF, WGBS, and WMCA.[11]

While a student at the University of Miami, Asdurian broadcast on WGBU[12] and worked as a statistician with the Miami Chamber of Commerce.[13] She also performed recitals,[14] and composed children's music.[15]

After attending the University of Miami, Asdurian returned to the New York area in 1928 and resumed her live radio performances until 1931.[16] She then moved to Los Angeles[17] and died there on April 29, 1963.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Ibis Yearbook, 1927, p. 9, Alma Mater words by William S. Lampe, music by Christine Asdurian, University of Miami Digital Collections, merrick.miami.edu http://merrick.library.miami.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/asu0039/id/5842/rec/1
  2. Ibis Yearbook, 1927, p. 128, University of Miami Digital Collections
  3. Palm Beach Post, January 23, 1927, page 18
  4. Web site: History | University of Miami.
  5. Web site: Alma Mater, Stand Forever. 2020-09-10. news.miami.edu. en.
  6. The Miami News, April 4, 1926, p. 2, interview with Grace Stone Hall
  7. 1900 U.S. Census and 1910 U.S.Census
  8. Oberlin Course Catalog 1912-1913, student roster, page 176
  9. Converse College Special Collections, Yearbook 1915-1916, and archival 1958 letter from Thompson to registrar, Converse College Special Collections
  10. A bibliography and summary of the criticism on M. Joseph Bedier's theory of the origin of French medieval romances as developed in his book 'Les legendes epiques' by Christina Oviatt Thompson, Columbia University Archives, https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/4290424
  11. Baltimore Sun, September 27, 1924; Philadelphia Inquirer, November 8, 1924; Philadelphia Inquirer, December 25, 1924; Philadelphia Inquirer, October 10, 1925
  12. Miami News, March 22, 1926
  13. The Miami News, April 4, 1926, p. 2
  14. Miami News, December 2, 1926; Miami News, March 27, 1927
  15. Miami News, March 17, 1927
  16. Asdurian/WJZ New York/News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware, December 21, 1928; Asdurian/WOR Newark/Baltimore Sun, May 11, 1929; Thompson/WOR Newark/Asbury Park Press, June 4, 1931,
  17. Letter from University of Miami President JFW Pearson addressed to Christine Asdurian Thompson, July 11, 1961, referencing her as the composer of the Alma Mater, University of Miami Archives and Special Collections
  18. California Death Index 1940-1997, Ancestry.com

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