Laredo, Ruth (1937–2005)

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Laredo, Ruth (1937–2005)

American pianist. Born Ruth Meckler in Detroit, Michigan, Nov 20, 1937; died of cancer, May 25, 2005, in New York, NY; dau. of Ben Meckler and Miriam (Horowitz) Meckler; studied with Rudolf Serkin at Curtis Institute; m. Jaime Laredo (Bolivian violin virtuoso), 1960 (div. 1974); children: Jennifer Laredo (who married the cellist Paul Watkins).

Debuted in NY with Leopold Stokowski and his American Symphony Orchestra (1962); toured Europe with Serkin and his son Peter (1965), receiving fine reviews; following marriage, appeared in numerous recitals with husband; known and respected as a specialist in Russian music, was widely praised for her performances and recordings of the solo piano compositions of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin.