Raya Garbousova (russian: Ра́я Га́рбузова; September 25, 1909Alternative dates appear in the literature. The ''New Grove'' has September 25, 1906, and ''Baker's Dictionary'' has October 10, 1905. Raya Garbousova herself claimed to have been born on September 25, 1909 �

/ref> – January 28, 1997) was a Russian Empire-born American

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 teacher.

Early life and career

According to the biography contained in the program booklet for the 1997 memorial concert in her honor in

DeKalb, Illinois DeKalb ( ) is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 according to the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated Franconian- French war hero Johann de Kalb, who died ...

, she made her formal debut in Moscow in 1923 and left the Soviet Union in 1925. She lived and performed in Europe, and gave her first performance in New York City in 1935. In December 1938, she toured the UK as supporting artist to Richard Tauber. She emigrated to the United States in 1939. In 1948, she married cardiologist Kurt Biss and settled in DeKalb, Illinois. She taught at Northern Illinois University from 1973 until her retirement in 1991. Besides teaching at NIU, Garbousova also taught at the Hartt College of Music in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, and gave many master classes at prominent musical institutions. They raised two sons, Gregory Biss (born 1942) and Paul Biss (born 1944). Gregory is a pianist and composer. Paul is a violinist and violist who is married to violinist

Miriam Fried Miriam Fried (born 9 September 1946) is a Romanian-born Israeli classical violinist and pedagogue. Biography Miriam Fried was born in Satu Mare, Romania but moved with her family to Israel when she was aged 2. Her family settled in Herzliya. ...

; one of their children, Jonathan Biss, is a classical pianist. During her performing career, she performed with many of the world's leading orchestras and conductors. To many who knew her, she was particularly associated with the cello music of

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...

. Barber wrote his cello concerto for her, and she performed its world premiere with

Serge Koussevitzky Sergei Alexandrovich KoussevitzkyKoussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his signature. (SeThe Koussevit ...

and the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

in 1946. Her recording of the Barber

Sonata for Cello and Piano A cello sonata is usually a sonata written for solo cello with piano accompaniment. The most famous Romantic-era cello sonatas are those written by Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven. Some of the earliest cello sonatas were written in the 1 ...

is also well known in this context. For her students, in addition to providing the typical technical and musical instruction which master teachers provide, she added the perspective of having personally known many of the great composers and string soloists of the twentieth century.

Legacy

In the booklet of letters and biographies which was distributed privately to participants in the 1997 Memorial Concert for Raya Garbousova,

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

stated, "For me, Raya was my closest, dearest friend." In this same document, János Starker stated, "But play she did and on a level of artistry that earned her a place among the handful of truly greats of the century."

Partial discography

*Samuel Barber: Concerto for Cello & Orchestra (

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

LP, DL 10132, 1966)

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garbousova, Raya 1909 births 1997 deaths Northern Illinois University faculty University of Hartford Hartt School faculty Musicians from Tbilisi Soviet emigrants to the United States American classical cellists Soviet classical cellists American people of Russian descent American music educators American women music educators 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American musicians American women classical cellists 20th-century American women musicians American women academics 20th-century cellists