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

Early life

Sarah Gurowitsch was born in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, the daughter of Harry and Esther Goldenberg Gurowitsch, and raised in New York. Her brother Frank and her sister Esther were also musicians. She studied in New York at the National Conservatory of Music and with cellists Hans Kronold and Leo Schulz, then went to Germany for further musical studies with

Robert Hausmann Robert Hausmann (13 August 185218 January 1909) was a notable 19th-century German cellist who premiered important works by Johannes Brahms (including the Double Concerto) and Max Bruch (including ''Kol Nidrei''). He was the cellist for the Joach ...

. In 1906, she won the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdi Prize in Berlin.

Career

While in Europe, Gurowitsch played

Eugen d'Albert Eugen (originally Eugène) Francis Charles d'Albert (10 April 1864 – 3 March 1932) was a Scottish-born pianist and composer. Educated in Britain, d'Albert showed early musical talent and, at the age of seventeen, he won a scholarship to stud ...

's cello concerto, with the composer himself accompanying her on piano. She made her American debut in 1910, with the

New York Symphony Orchestra The New York Symphony Orchestra was founded as the New York Symphony Society in New York City by Leopold Damrosch in 1878. For many years it was a rival to the older Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York. It was supported by Andrew Carnegie, ...

, under conductor

Walter Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Ge ...

. In 1913 she made a recording of the ''

Kol Nidre Kol Nidre (also known as Kol Nidrey or Kol Nidrei; Aramaic: ''kāl niḏrē'') is a Hebrew and Aramaic declaration which is recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"). Strictly ...

'', and headlined a "Russian Music Carnival" at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. In 1914, she toured on the lyceum circuit with baritone Marcus A. Kellerman. In 1916, she played at a concert of Jewish music at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. She played a concert at Bushwick High School in 1917. "She has a splendid command of her instrument," commented one reviewer in 1919, "gets a beautiful tone, and plays with sureness and soulful interpretation." Gurowitsch left the professional stage after marriage in 1919, but she occasionally played at Jewish women's events in

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.YMHA A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...

, and in 1939 she performed at a local meeting of the

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Founded in 1893, NCJW is self-described as the oldest Jewish women’s grassroots organization in the United States, now comprised by over 180,000 members. As of ...

Personal life

Sarah Gurowitsch married a fellow Russian immigrant, Samuel Benjamin Leight, in 1919. Their sons Lawrence and Donald became musicians; another son, Edward, became an illustrator. Playwright and television producer

Warren Leight Warren Donald Leight (; born January 17, 1957) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and television producer. He is best known for his work on ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and '' Lights Out'' and as the showrunner for ''In ...

is Sarah Gurowitsch's grandson. Her husband died in 1970. Sarah Gurowitsch Leight died in 1981, aged 92 years.

References

External links

*
Esquisses Hébraïques : Clarinet quintets on Jewish themes
' (1999), includes a recording of Sarah Gurowitsch's "Kol nidrei" for clarinet and string quartet. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gurowitsch, Sarah 1889 births 1981 deaths American classical cellists American women classical cellists Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States National Conservatory of Music of America alumni 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century cellists