Elaine Radoff Barkin

 Elaine “Ray” Radoff Barkin (1932–2023) was a composer, music educator, and writer born and raised in The Bronx. After receiving her B.A. from Queens College, Barkin continued her music studies at Brandeis University and the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. Barkin returned to Queens College to teach (1964–1970), before moving on to Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Michigan, and finally UCLA, where she was a faculty member until her retirement. In addition to composing in contemporary Western modes, Barkin also maintained interest in Indonesian gamelan traditions. Several of Barkin’s compositions are based on texts by Emily Dickinson, among others, and she was known for her collaborative musical engagements later in her career. An editor of the journal Perspectives of New Music (1963–1985), Barkin also co-founded the Open Space series of music publications with Benjamin Boretz and J.K. Randall.

A note of thanks to Elaine’s son Gabriel Barkin, who generously donated numerous scores and manuscripts to the QC Music Library and QC Special Collections & Archives (SCA).