Balsam, Artur

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Balsam, Artur

Balsam, Artur, Polish-born American pianist and pedagogue; b. Warsaw, Feb. 8, 1906; d. N.Y., Sept. 1, 1994. He studied in Lódź, making his debut there at the age of 12; then enrolled at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik; in 1930 he obtained the prestigious Mendelssohn Prize; in 1932 he made a U.S. tour with Menuhin. With the advent of the anti-Semitic Nazi regime in 1933, he settled in America, where he became a superlative accompanist to celebrated artists; he also played much chamber music and gave occasional solo recitals. He served on the faculties of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., Boston Univ., and the Manhattan School of Music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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