Herschel Burke Gilbert, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
began violin lessons at age nine, in Shorewood, Wisconsin,
where he was concertmaster of the award-winning high school orchestra
and drum major for the band · He began his own dance band at age 15,
performing at high schools and colleges throughout the state of Wisconsin
1936: Gilbert entered Milwaukee State Teachers' College
(later, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) where he studied
orchestration and composition with Milton Rusch, and teaching and
performing on all instrument of the orchestra with Hugo Anhalt -
preparing himself for his later work as an orchestrator in Hollywood
1939-1941: two years Juilliard Institute of Musical Art (violin and viola)
1941-1943: two Years Juilliard Graduate school, with two consecutive
yearly fellowships in conducting with Albert Stoessel ·
Herschel studied composition with Bernard Waganaar and Vitorio Gianinni,
and played first viola in the Juilliard Graduate School Orchestra
1942: Viola scholarship at Berkshire Music Festival, Tanglewood, Massachusetts,
performing under Serge Koussevitsky ·
Here also, Gilbert studied composition with Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and Lukas Foss
1946: Studied advanced composition privately with Ernst Toch -
who also taught at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
1943: Left Juilliard to accept positions as music arranger
and violist with the Harry James Orchestra, traveling to Hollywood to work in films
1945: Obtained arranging and orchestration assignments from Columbia Pictures
·
Arranged and orchestrated for film composers Dimitri Tiomkin, Werner Heyman, and Heinz Roemheld
From 1947: Composer-conductor, arranger-orchestrator of over
sixty feature motion pictures for Columbia Pictures, United Artists, and
20th Century Fox (independent producers), winning three Academy Award Nominations
1958-1964: Executive Music Director of Dick Powell's Four Star Television Company
·
Music composer and supervisor of 1500 television episodes (winning three Emmy nominations)
Vice President, Four Star TV Music Publishing Company (BMI) and BNP Music (ASCAP)
1965-1966: Executive Music Director of the CBS Television Network ·
Composer, conductor and music supervisor of 300 CBS television episodes
·
Composer-conductor of Rawhide's two hour episode, Damon's Road,
for which he received the Cowboy Hall of Fame Award in Oklahoma City, presented by John Wayne
1974: Founded Consortium Recordings, a non-profit company,
to record, produce and distribute classical chamber music recordings
·
Also formed GSC Recordings, solely to record the chamber music of
Paul Hindemith; and started Laurel Record, Gilbert's personal
record label, to produce and release classical chamber music ·
These companies are successful and active to this day
ASSOCIATIONS
Past Governor and Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National
Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS)
President, Screen Composers of America (SCA), composers for films and TV ·
Co-chair of the committee of Adolph Deutsch, David Buttolph, George Duning and Arthur Morton,
from 1947-1954, working to gain entry of film composers to membership in ASCAP
and enable film composers to earn performance royalties
President, Juilliard Alumni Association Chapter One at Los Angeles ·
He was the only recipient of TWO "Juilliard Alumnus of the Year" awards
Member, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
(former Music Branch Executive Committee Member)
Member, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Member, American Federation of Musicians (Los Angeles Local 47)
Member, National Association of American Composers and Conductors
President, (seven years) American Society of Music Arrangers (Now the American
Society of Arrangers and Composers, ASMAC)
Board Member, The Society of Singers
President, three years; Vice President, four years on the Board of Trustees of
The Society for the Preservation of Film Music, now called The Film Music Society
Chairman of the Rotary International Youth Music Awards Program for the
City of Los Angeles, sponsoring a classical music competition for high school students
Elected member of the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers
(ASCAP) · Twice a member of the Board Of Review Committee
Vice President of the Film Music Museum, an organization working to preserve
film and television scores, and to make music scores available for study
Vice President- Film Music Museum
CIVIC ACTIVITIES
President, Rotary Club of West Hollywood ·
Director of Community Service, Rotary Club of West Hollywood
Chairman, Hollywood Citizens Liaison Committee (mental health support)
President, Hollywood Community Mental Health Foundation
Chairman, Mental Health Community Service, Rotary International District 5280
Co-Chair and Secretary, Public Safety Steering Committee for Los Angeles
President, Nichols Canyon Association (homeowner association)
President, Juilliard Alumni Association (fifteen years)
Member, Secretary, Hollywood Action Forum (Hollywood community improvement)
Member, Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters
Member, Hollywood Coordinating Council
Past President, Wattles Farm and Neighborhood Gardeners ·
Head Gardenmaster of Wattles Farm Community Garden
Charter-President, Gardner School-Community Advisory Council ·
Honorary Life Member, PTA, Gardner Street Elementary School
Committee Chairman for 28 years of Troop 31, Boy Scouts of America
(Arrow of Light award) and Cubmaster, Cub Scout Pack 31 (three years)
AWARDS
Composer-conductor of Rawhide's "Damon's Road", for CBS TV ·
Received Cowboy Hall of Fame Award for CBS Televisions' "Damon's Road" episode
for the Rawhide series · Award was presented by John Wayne
Special Life Achievement Award from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Alumni Association (only the second such award given by this university branch)
Herschel Burke Gilbert obituary (Los Angeles Times).
RECORD ALBUMS