Nadia Reisenberg
Encyclopedia
Nadia Reisenberg was an American pianist of Lithuania
n birth.
, Reisenberg studied under Leonid Nikolayev at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory
. Due to the upheavals of the October Revolution
, she and her family came back to Vilnius, then travelled to Warsaw and Germany; they finally settled in New York in 1922. She gave concerts in the 1920s, particularly with her sister Clara Rockmore
, but in 1930 went to study again and chose Josef Hofmann as a tutor.
Reisenberg's most important concert activity took place in the 1940s. She was specially praised for her series of concerts encompassing all the piano concertos by Mozart
played (with Alfred Wallenstein
conducting) for WOR
which was broadcast in the 1939/40 season; these concerts "made radio history".
In later years Reisenberg taught at the Juilliard School
and was a frequent juror for the Leventritt Competition
. Among her notable pupils are pianists Elena Braslavsky
and Rami Bar-Niv. Her son Robert Sherman
currently teaches courses on "The Business of Music" at Juilliard and previously wrote music criticism for The New York Times
for four decades. He and her other son Alexander co-authored a biography on their mother, Nadia Reisenberg: A Musician's Scrapbook (1985).
Reisenberg died in 1983 at the age of 78 in New York City.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n birth.
Life and career
Born in VilniusVilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Reisenberg studied under Leonid Nikolayev at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
. Due to the upheavals of the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, she and her family came back to Vilnius, then travelled to Warsaw and Germany; they finally settled in New York in 1922. She gave concerts in the 1920s, particularly with her sister Clara Rockmore
Clara Rockmore
Clara Rockmore was a virtuoso performer of the theremin, an electronic musical instrument.-Biography :Born as Clara Reisenberg in Vilnius, Lithuania, Rockmore was a child prodigy on the violin and entered the Imperial conservatory of Saint Petersburg at the age of five...
, but in 1930 went to study again and chose Josef Hofmann as a tutor.
Reisenberg's most important concert activity took place in the 1940s. She was specially praised for her series of concerts encompassing all the piano concertos by Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
played (with Alfred Wallenstein
Alfred Wallenstein
Alfred Wallenstein was an American cellist and conductor, born in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 17, he joined the San Francisco Symphony as a cellist. He subsequently played cello with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra before becoming principal cello of the New...
conducting) for WOR
WOR (AM)
WOR is a class A , AM radio station located in New York, New York, U.S., operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. The station has conservative, or right-of-center hosts.Its call letters have no...
which was broadcast in the 1939/40 season; these concerts "made radio history".
In later years Reisenberg taught at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
and was a frequent juror for the Leventritt Competition
Leventritt Competition
The Leventritt Competition was a highly prestigious international competition for classical pianists and violinists. It was founded in 1939 by the Edgar M. Leventritt Foundation Inc. of Cold Spring, New York, in memory of jurist Edgar M. Leventritt....
. Among her notable pupils are pianists Elena Braslavsky
Elena Braslavsky
Elena Braslavsky is an American pianist of Russian birth who has had an active international performance career in both the concert and chamber music repertoire since the early 1980s...
and Rami Bar-Niv. Her son Robert Sherman
Robert Sherman (music critic)
Robert Sherman is an American music critic, radio personality, academic, and writer on music. He is the son of pianist Nadia Reisenberg. From 1964-2003 he was a music critic for The New York Times. Since 1969 he has hosted the folk music radio program Woody's Children; for the first 30 years on...
currently teaches courses on "The Business of Music" at Juilliard and previously wrote music criticism for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
for four decades. He and her other son Alexander co-authored a biography on their mother, Nadia Reisenberg: A Musician's Scrapbook (1985).
Reisenberg died in 1983 at the age of 78 in New York City.