Otie Chew Becker (December 2, 1880 – January 22, 1953) was an English violinist and music educator based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Early life

Otie Chew was born in London, and lived in

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as a girl. Her original first name was possibly "Ottawa", based on

Ottawa, Kansas Ottawa (pronounced ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. It is located on both banks of the Marais des Cygnes River near the center of Franklin County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the c ...

, where her parents lived before she was born. Her father James Chew was a clergyman."Otie Chew"
''New Zealand Herald'' (September 18, 1907). via

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She quickly showed musical potential. She received a scholarship to attend the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

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at age 11.Doug Johnson, Finding aid
Albert and Elaine Atwood collection on Thilo Becker and Otie Chew, 1888-ca. 1984
UCLA Library Special Collections. She was a student of violinists

Emile Sauret Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *'' Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *'' Emil and the Detecti ...

and

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of ...

."Beautiful Violinist Will Wed Composer"
''Los Angeles Herald'' (April 17, 1907): 5. via

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Career

Chew's small stature was often contrasted with her powerful sound. "Although a veritable little doll as to stature, she has the biggest and most sonorous tone ever drawn from wood and catgut by one of her sex," proclaimed arts manager C. H. Gibbons that year."She is a very petite person and it is a source of wonder to all how one with a frame so small can bring such powerful harmonies to her loved instrument," noted the ''Los Angeles Herald''. Some early appraisals decried her youthful inexperience, as when ''New Music Review'' noted that "Miss Otie Chew played Brahms' violin concerto in an almost completely incompetent manner." The ''New York Times'' had a similar opinion of Chew's 1905 American debut, concluding that "it would be a mournful task to enumerate the defects of her playing." In Los Angeles after 1905, Otie Chew Becker played with the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

, gave concerts and taught violin. Her "sonata recitals" with pianist husband Thilo Becker were much admired in the Southern California arts community.

Personal life

Otie Chew married Thilo Becker, an Australian-born pianist and composer, in 1907. They lived in

La Crescenta La Crescenta-Montrose () is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The community is bordered by Glendale to the south and west, La Cañada Flintridge to the east, and Angeles National Forest to the north. Accor ...

, California. Becker died in 1944, and Otie Chew died in 1953, aged 72 years. As a young touring artist, Otie Chew was often photographed with her dog, Lutin."A Notable Concert"
''Vancouver Daily World'' (February 9, 1907): 11. via

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chew Becker, Otie 1880 births 1953 deaths English violinists People from La Crescenta-Montrose, California Alumni of the Royal College of Music British expatriates in New Zealand English emigrants to the United States 20th-century violinists