Abram Chasins

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Abram Chasins (1903-08-17–1987-06-21) was an American composer and pianist.

Born in New York, he studied at the Juilliard School of Music, Columbia University and Curtis Institute of Music, under teachers including Ernest Hutcheson, Rubin Goldmark and Józef Hofmann.

Chasins' career as a pianist lasted from 1927 until 1947. On 1929-01-18 he made his debut playing his own piano concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra. From 1926 to 1935 he taught piano as a member of the faculty of the Curtis Institute. Chasins was associated with the radio station WQXR from 1941 to 1965, becoming the music director in 1946. In 1949 he married Constance Keene, a pianist and former student of his. In 1972 he joined the University of Southern California as musician-in-residence, and reorganized the student-run radio station KUSC into a channel for classical and modern music. He retired in 1977, and died of cancer at his home in Manhattan on 1987-06-21.

Chasins wrote over 100 compositions, mostly for the piano, and was the first American composer to have his works performed by Toscanini. His Three Chinese Pieces were performed by celebrated pianists including Josef Lhévinne and Józef Hofmann. He also wrote a number of books on music and musicians, including Speaking of Pianists (1958), The Van Cliburn Legend (1959), The Appreciation of Music (1966), Music at the Crossroads (1972) and Stoki, the Incredible Apollo (1978), a biography of Leopold Stokowski.