Ruth Slenczynska
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ruth Slenczynska (born January 15, 1925) is an American pianist.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Ruth was born in Sacramento, California. Her father, Joseph Slenczynski was a violinist. As a child, starting from age three, Ruth was forced to practice in a tough routine. When she was four, she began her piano studies in Europe and studied with Artur Schnabel, Egon Petri, Alfred Cortot, Joseph Hofmann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.
[edit] Debut
She performed her debut in Berlin at age six, and made her debut in Paris with a full orchestra at just 11 years. She became extremely popular in Europe. However, the strain of practice and the touring schedule imposed upon her by her father caused great emotional stress upon her, and by the age of fifteen she withdrew from performing.
[edit] Rise to prominence
Slenczynska applied and was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley. While there, she met fellow student George Born. The two married after a short engagement in 1944, but were divorced in 1954. Ruth resumed her concert career and established herself as a well-known musician. In 1964 she accepted a full time position at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville as Artist-in-Residence, a title she retained until 1987.
Ruth married again in 1967; this time, to a professor of political science at SIUE.
She published a book of memoirs, Forbidden Childhood, which deals with life as a child prodigy, and a book on piano technique, Music at Your Fingertips: Aspects of Pianoforte Technique.
In recent years Ruth Slenczynska's career has been resurgent in Japan, where she currently records and performs.
