Marta Casals Istomin

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Marta Casals Istomin (2007)

Marta Casals Istomin (born 1937), is the former president of Manhattan School of Music.

1 Early years
2 Pablo Casals
3 The Kennedy Center's Terrace Concerts
4 Spokeswoman
5 Later years
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Early years

She was born Marta Montañez Martínez in Humacao, Puerto Rico to a family of amateur musicians. As a child she was influenced by surroundings which were instrumental in the development of her love for music. She received her primary education in her hometown. Her uncle, Rafael Montañez, taught her the fundamentals of the violin at the age of six. After she finished her primary education, she attended New York's Marymount School of the Convent of the Sacred Heart of Mary for four years. ^[1]

[edit] Pablo Casals

Eventually, Casals Istomin was awarded a scholarship to attend Mannes College of Music in New York City to study cello. In 1952, her uncle Rafael took the 15 year old to the Prades Festival. There she first met the Maestro Pablo Casals (1876-1973) who was very impressed when he heard her play. Casals recommended that she return to New York where he would accept her as a student. In 1954, Casals Istomin graduated "summa cum laude" from Mannes College and joined Casals in France where she became an active participant in the Prades Festival. ^[2]

In 1957, she married Pablo Casals and together they founded the Casals Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican Symphony Orchestra. As Co-Chairwoman of the Board and Music Director of the Casals Festival, she became a force for the development of fine music in the island. In 1959, Casals Istomin co-founded the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. When her husband died on 1973, she took it upon herself the responsibility of running the festival. That same year she established a string program for young children which has produced most of the string players for the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. She also acted as visiting cello professor in the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Casals Istomin was named Vice-President of the Pablo Casals Foundation and Museum in Barcelona, Spain.^[1]

[edit] The Kennedy Center's Terrace Concerts

Casals Istomin met world renowned pianist Eugene Istomin and they were married on February 15, 1975. In 1979, she resigned from her position in the Casals Festival and from 1980-1990 served as the Artistic Director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.. During her years as director she founded The Kennedy Center's Terrace Concerts. She also established the largest ballet series in the United States. ^[3]

From 1990-1997, Casals Istomin was the General Director of "Recontres Musicales d'Evian Festival International" in France. As director, she was instrumental in the establishment of master classes with the festival's visiting artists and the expansion of the festival by requiring an inclusion of choral music. This led to the building of a new concert hall.^[2]

[edit] Spokeswoman

Casals Istomin, who is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Catalan belongs to or has acted as spokeswoman for the following organizations:^[2]

Member, Board of Trustees, Marlboro School of Music (1973-present)
Member of the first cultural delegation to the Republic of China (1980)
Member of the U.S. Advisory on Culture for UNESCO in Mexico City and Paris (1980s)
Keynote speaker, Chamber Music America Convention in N.Y.C. (1981-84)
Delegate to the World Arts Forum in Geneva, Switzerland (1989, 1990)
Member, National Arts Council of the National Endowment for the Arts (1990-1998) appointed by President George H. Bush.
Keynote speaker for International Society of Performing Arts Administrators

[edit] Later years

On July 1, 1992, Casals Istomin was named President of the Manhattan School of Music, a position which she held until her retirement in October 2005. In 1998, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade named Casals Istomin the Grand Marshall of the parade. Eugene Istomin died in 2003. During the years she has been honored with six honorary doctoral degrees. She has also been decorated with the highest cultural honors by the governments of Puerto Rico, Spain, France and Germany. Casals Istomin currently is a member of the Manhattan School of Music's board of directors. ^[4]