Aileen Traeger

1937 - 2024

Aileen James Traeger

10/24/1937 – 6/6/2024

Dr. Aileen James Traeger passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday, June 6, 2024. She was 86 years old. She is survived by her three loving children and their spouses (Tom and Katie Eiseman; Tamara Eiseman; Terese and Lou Telloni), six adoring grandchildren and their spouses (Phil and Felicia Cohen, Rebecca Eiseman and Zeke Runyon, Jonathan Eiseman, Christa and Shawn Cox, AJ Paul, and Caroline Clawson), and two great-grandchildren (Colfax and Easton Cohen). She was a concert pianist, educator, and lifelong supporter of the arts.

Aileen was born to Russell Boyd James and Mildred Maude James (McPherson) in Los Angeles, California, on October 24, 1937. Her sister Edith was 10 years older than her, and moved out of state with her husband Fred in the 1950s, but they remained close all of their lives. Aileen was very fond of her nieces and nephews and their families.

Having an early affinity for the piano, Aileen was steered toward performing at a young age. At age eight she made her public performance debut, and at 16 made her professional concert pianist debut in Los Angeles. Early concert appearances include performing the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Glendale Symphony and Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto with the Meremblum Youth Symphony. Throughout her career Aileen performed in concert as a soloist, accompanist, and member of chamber ensembles throughout the United States, Central America, Austria, and France. She loved to play (and listen to!) anything by Johannes Brahms.

In addition to performing, Dr. Aileen James also had an enduring passion for music education. She began teaching piano lessons at the age of 22 and never fully retired from it, teaching group music classes for adults well into her 80s. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Pacific Union College in Angwin, California, and in 1981 she earned a doctorate in music performance and pedagogy from Stanford University. Throughout her life she studied with top-tier educators such as Mae Gilbert Reese, Julian White, and Adolph Baler.

Dr. James held teaching positions at Pacific Union College, Stanford University, and Santa Clara University before moving to the Indianapolis area with her husband Don in 1983 where she served as the artistic director for the American Pianists Association for over a decade. She was also the educational chairman of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a guest lecturer at the Butler University Pedagogy Clinic, and President of the Independent Presenters Network.

In the late '90s, Aileen and Don retired to Grass Valley, California, in the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills. The area has a thriving artistic community and Dr. James jumped in with both feet. She served on the board of directors for InConcert Sierra from 1997 to 2014. She also served on the board of Music in the Mountains, continued to teach, and even hosted a classical music radio show on KVMR. Because of her interest in music history and education she loved to write program notes for concerts she was involved in, whether performing or hosting. She also became known for her pre-concert talks and interviews with acclaimed guest artists.

Aileen was a proud mother and grandmother. Known as "Bubbe" to her family, she thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her loved ones, including her many extended family members and friends. She instilled joy and a zest for life into everything she did, telling stories of concerts and travels, devouring the latest biographies, and enjoying word games or sharing giggles with the grandkids. She will be dearly missed by each of us.

For those who wish to express sympathy in the form of a gift, the family has requested that you please consider making a donation to InConcert Sierra at www.inconcertsierra.org/honor-giving in Aileen James' name.