Orenstein was born in New York and was educated at
the High School of Music and Art,
Queens College, and
Columbia University, receiving a doctorate in musicology. He is known as a
Ravel scholar, and his books include
The Vocal Works of Maurice Ravel (1968),
Ravel: Man and Musician (Columbia Univ. Press, 1975) and
Ravel: Lettres, Ecrits, Entretiens (Flammarion, 1989), translated into English as
A Ravel Reader (Columbia Univ. Press, 1990). As a pianist, Orenstein has recorded the world premieres of works by Ravel. He has also accompanied concert artists. In 1998 the French government awarded him the medal of Chevalier of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Orenstein is a professor of music at the
Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, where he has taught for 45 years, focusing on European music history and Jewish music. He is the editor of the Jewish music journal
Musica Judaica and regularly contributes to the French journal
Cahiers Maurice Ravel. ==Notes==