Suzette Forgues Halasz (14 April 1918 – 8 December 2004) was a Canadian

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

. She held the post of principal cellist of the

Montreal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orche ...

from 1942 to 1946 and worked in the same capacity at the New York City Opera for many years. She was married to conductor Laszlo Halasz for over 50 years.

Life and career

Born Suzette Forgues in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, she was the daughter of T. A. Forgues and Margaret Gratton. She was a child prodigy and began giving public piano concerts at the age of 4. She began studying the cello seriously at the age of 10 with

Gustave Labelle Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

and at age 11 gave her first public recitals at the Theatre des Petits Enfants and at the Ball de League de la Jeunesse Feminine in Montreal. She went on to earn a diploma in cello performance from the

Académie de musique du Québec The Quebec Music Academy (''L'académie de musique du Québec'') is a nonprofit association based in Montreal, Canada, founded in 1868. It was built by order of Queen Victoria in 1870 and brought together the most renowned musicians of Quebec. The ...

in 1940 where she was a pupil of

Jean-Baptiste Dubois Jean-Baptiste is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was King o ...

. From 1938 to 1942, Forgues Halasz studied with Emanuel Feuermann in both

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and California. She also studied with Felix Salmond at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

. Part of the funding for her New York studies was made possible through her winning the 1940

Prix d'Europe The Prix d'Europe is a Canadian study grant that is funded by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec of the Government of Quebec. Established in 1911, the award has been distributed annually to a single individual through competition wi ...

prize.Interview with Suzette Forgues Halasz at cello.org
/ref> She returned to her native city in 1942 to become principal cellist of the

(then known as the Concert Symphonique of Montreal) under conductor

Wilfrid Pelletier Joseph Louis Wilfrid Pelletier (sometimes spelled Wilfred), (20 June 1896 – 9 April 1982) was a Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and arts administrator. He was instrumental in establishing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, serving a ...

. She appeared as a soloist with the MSO and other Canadian orchestras during the 1940s. She also appeared as a soloist with the

Charleston Symphony Orchestra The Charleston Symphony Orchestra aka CSO, is an American orchestra based in Charleston, South Carolina and performs Masterworks and Pops series, Youth Orchestra concerts and more, at the Gaillard Center and dozens of other venues across the Lowcou ...

. In 1945, she met conductor Laszlo Halasz, founder of the New York City Opera, while he was on a performance tour in Canada. The two began a romantic relationship and were soon married. She left her position at the MSO at that time and relocated to New York City where she became principal cellist of the NYCO orchestra; a position she held through 1952. During her tenure there she performed under famous conductors like Leopold Stokowski and

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

. After 1954, Forgues Halasz abandoned her career as a performer to focus on supporting her husband's career and raising their two children (George and Suzanne). She later taught for many years on the music faculty of

Queens College, City University of New York Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body ...

and privately out of her home in Port Washington, New York. She died in Port Washington at the age of 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forgues Halasz, Suzette 1918 births 2004 deaths Queens College, City University of New York faculty Canadian music educators Canadian classical cellists Musicians from Montreal People from Port Washington, New York Canadian women classical cellists 20th-century Canadian women musicians Women music educators 20th-century classical musicians Canadian expatriates in the United States 20th-century cellists