Sarah Gurowitsch

Sara Gurowitsch (February 17, 1889 – April 24, 1981) was a Russian-born American cellist and composer.

Sarah Gurowitsch
Sarah Gurowitsch, from a 1914 publication
Born(1889-02-17)February 17, 1889
Russia
DiedApril 24, 1981(1981-04-24) (aged 92)
New York
NationalityAmerican
Other namesSara Gurowitsch, Sara Gurovitch, Sara Gurowitch, Sara Leight, S. Gurowitsch
OccupationCellist and composer

Early life

Sarah Gurowitsch was born in Russia, the daughter of Harry and Esther Goldenberg Gurowitsch, and raised in New York.[1] Her brother Frank and her sister Esther were also musicians.[2] She studied in New York at the National Conservatory of Music and with cellists Hans Kronold and Leo Schulz,[3][4] then went to Germany for further musical studies with Robert Hausmann.[5] In 1906, she won the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdi Prize in Berlin.[6][7]

Career

While in Europe, Gurowitsch played Eugen d'Albert's cello concerto, with the composer himself accompanying her on piano.[6] She made her American debut in 1910, with the New York Symphony Orchestra, under conductor Walter Damrosch.[2][8][9] In 1913 she made a recording of the Kol Nidre,[10] and headlined a "Russian Music Carnival" at Carnegie Hall.[11]

In 1914, she toured on the lyceum circuit with baritone Marcus A. Kellerman.[6] In 1916, she played at a concert of Jewish music at Columbia University.[12] She played a concert at Bushwick High School in 1917.[13] "She has a splendid command of her instrument," commented one reviewer in 1919, "gets a beautiful tone, and plays with sureness and soulful interpretation."[14]

Gurowitsch left the professional stage after marriage in 1919, but she occasionally played at Jewish women's events in Bergen County, New Jersey. For example, in 1931 she played at a women's meeting of the YMHA,[15] and in 1939 she performed at a local meeting of the National Council of Jewish Women.[16]

Personal life

Sarah Gurowitsch married a fellow Russian immigrant, Samuel Benjamin Leight, in 1919. Their sons Lawrence and Donald became musicians;[17] another son, Edward, became an illustrator.[2] Playwright and television producer Warren Leight is Sarah Gurowitsch's grandson.[17] Her husband died in 1970.[18] Sarah Gurowitsch Leight died in 1981, aged 92 years.[2][19]

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gollark: I think my best work is the end cube I made in chorus city.
gollark: Giant Cuboid with Windows 1, 2, 3 and 4 are great places to live.

References
  1. "A Young Cellist". The Violinist. 6: 37. February 1909.
  2. "Sarah Gurowitsch". Composers Classical Music. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  3. "National Conservatory of Music". Musical Courier. 44: 24. March 5, 1902.
  4. Tonkünstler Society of New York (1901). Programmes, Names of Members and Officers pp. 12, 14, 17.
  5. "Sara Gurovitch". The Étude. 25: 124. February 1907.
  6. "Marcus A. Kellerman, Noted Dramatic Baritone". The Lyceum News: 4. March 1914.
  7. "Stipendien (1879-1934) | Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschulwettbewerb" (in German). Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  8. "1910 Dec 09, 11 (Subscription Season) SSO". New York Philharmonic, Leon Levy Digital Archives. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  9. "THE NEW YORK SYMPHONY.: New Pieces by Hugo Kaun -- Miss Guro- witsch Plays d'Albert's 'Cello Concerto". The New York Times. December 2, 1910. p. 9 – via ProQuest.
  10. "Sarah Gurowitsch (instrumentalist : cello)". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  11. "Russian Music Carnival". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 22, 1913. p. 20. Retrieved December 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Columbia Menorah Concert of Jewish Music". The Menorah Journal. 3: 190. June 1917.
  13. "S. Gurowitch, Russian 'cellist at Bushwick High School". The Chat. February 10, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved December 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Fine Concert". Star-Gazette. April 3, 1919. p. 4. Retrieved December 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Women's Division to Meet on Monday". The Record. May 17, 1930. p. 18. Retrieved December 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Administration is Re-Elected by Jewish Women's Council". The Record. May 3, 1939. p. 15. Retrieved December 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Keepnews, Peter (January 18, 2004). "Donald Leight, 80, Musician Who Inspired Play 'Side Man'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  18. "Deaths". The New York Times. May 31, 1970. p. 57 – via ProQuest.
  19. "Deaths". The New York Times. April 30, 1981. p. B12 – via ProQuest.
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