Dorothy DeLay
Encyclopedia
Dorothy DeLay was an American violin
instructor
, primarily at the Juilliard School
.
She was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas
.
, the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, the New England Conservatory, the Meadowmount School of Music
and the Aspen Music Festival and School
, among others. She began at Juilliard as a teaching assistant to the well-known violin teacher Ivan Galamian
, but later established her own violin studio. Delay studied at the Oberlin Conservatory with Raymond Cerf and transferred to Michigan State University
, where she received her B.A. She went on to earn an Artist Diploma from Juilliard Graduate School.
She was also the founder of the Stuyvesant Trio (1939–42).
Dorothy DeLay died from cancer
in New York City at the age of 84. She was survived by her husband, Edward Newhouse, two children, and four grandchildren.
In addition to many honorary degrees, Miss DeLay received the National Medal of Arts
in 1994, the National Music Council
's American Eagle Award in 1995, the Sanford Medal from Yale University
in 1997 and the Order of the Sacred Treasure
from the Japanese Government in 1998.
. She also taught Anne Akiko Meyers
, Midori Goto
, Akiko Suwanai
, Sarah Chang
, Cho-Liang Lin
, Chin Kim
, Shunsuke Sato
, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
, Angèle Dubeau
, Nigel Kennedy
, Alyssa Park, Misha Keylin
, Shlomo Mintz
, and Gil Shaham
, among others. She also taught many significant orchestral musicians and pedagogues, such as Simon Fischer, author of Basics, Paul Kantor
, pedagogue at Cleveland Institute of Music
, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Robert Chen
, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
(also doubling in the Seattle Symphony
) concertmaster Frank Almond, and Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim
.
In a 1992 interview, Salerno-Sonnenberg said: "I think the greatest things about Dorothy DeLay is that she has the ability to look at a young student or an old student and pretty much size up their character and the way that they think -- their personality, basically -- and how in a short period of time what's the best door to use to get them into here. And that's her method -- the fact that there is really no method."
Itzhak Perlman said of DeLay's pedagogic approach: "I would come and play for her, and if something was not quite right, it wasn't like she was going to kill me. She would ask questions about what you thought of particular phrases -- where the top of the phrase was, and so on. We would have a very friendly, interesting discussion about 'Why do you think it should sound like this?' and 'What do you think of that?' I was not quite used to this way of approaching things."
DeLay's students have gone forward to solo careers, principal orchestra positions with the world's leading orchestras, and have gone on to win many of the major violin competitions of the world.
In 1975, she was recognized by ASTA
with their Artist Teacher Award.
In 2003, Itzhak Perlman was appointed to his teacher's position at Juilliard, the Dorothy Richard Starling Chair of Violin Studies. The position was established in 1997 with a leadership grant from the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation to The Campaign for Juilliard and was held by DeLay until the time of her death in March 2002.
for an in-depth profile of Miss DeLay, see Helen Epstein's book Music Talks, now on Kindle. This is also available as a separate article on Kindle.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
instructor
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, primarily at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
.
She was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas
Medicine Lodge, Kansas
Medicine Lodge is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barber County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,009.-19th century:...
.
Career and education
In addition to teaching at Juilliard, she taught at Sarah Lawrence CollegeSarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
, the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, the New England Conservatory, the Meadowmount School of Music
Meadowmount School of Music
The Meadowmount School of Music, founded in 1944 by Ivan Galamian, is a 7-week summer school in Westport in Upstate New York for accomplished young violinists, cellists, violists, and pianists training for professional careers in music. The students are required to practice for at least five hours...
and the Aspen Music Festival and School
Aspen Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School, founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents music in an intimate, small-town setting...
, among others. She began at Juilliard as a teaching assistant to the well-known violin teacher Ivan Galamian
Ivan Galamian
Ivan Alexander Galamian was an influential Armenian violin teacher of the twentieth century.He was born in Tabriz, Iran, but his family soon emigrated to Moscow, Russia. Galamian studied violin at the School of the Philharmonic Society there with Konstantin Mostras until his graduation in 1919...
, but later established her own violin studio. Delay studied at the Oberlin Conservatory with Raymond Cerf and transferred to Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, where she received her B.A. She went on to earn an Artist Diploma from Juilliard Graduate School.
She was also the founder of the Stuyvesant Trio (1939–42).
Dorothy DeLay died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in New York City at the age of 84. She was survived by her husband, Edward Newhouse, two children, and four grandchildren.
In addition to many honorary degrees, Miss DeLay received the National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
in 1994, the National Music Council
National Music Council
The National Music Council of the United States is a United States national organization listed under Title 36 of the United States Code, founded in 1940 and chartered by the 84th Congress in 1956. The Council is composed of organizations of national scope interested in the development of music...
's American Eagle Award in 1995, the Sanford Medal from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1997 and the Order of the Sacred Treasure
Order of the Sacred Treasure
The is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
from the Japanese Government in 1998.
Teaching
Her former students include many noted violinists of the late 20th century. She assisted Galamian with Itzhak PerlmanItzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
. She also taught Anne Akiko Meyers
Anne Akiko Meyers
Anne Akiko Meyers is an American concert violinist. Meyers has toured and collaborated with a number of symphony orchestras and Il Divo, Chris Botti and Wynton Marsalis. Meyers tours with a 1730 Stradivarius violin called the 'Royal Spanish'...
, Midori Goto
Midori Goto
is a Japanese American violinist. She made her debut at the age of 11 in a last-minute change of programming during a concert highlighting young performers by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. When she was 21, she formed the philanthropic group Midori and Friends to help bring music to...
, Akiko Suwanai
Akiko Suwanai
is a Japanese classical violinist.She was the youngest winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990. In addition, she won second place in the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in 1989 and is a laureate of the International Japan Competition.She has studied with Toshiya Eto at the...
, Sarah Chang
Sarah Chang
Sarah Chang is a Korean American violinist. Her debut came in 1989 with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Shortly thereafter, Chang was recognized as a child prodigy. She enrolled at Juilliard School to study music, graduating in 1999 and continuing university studies...
, Cho-Liang Lin
Cho-Liang Lin
Cho-Liang Lin , born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is a Taiwanese American violinist who is renowned for his appearances as a soloist with major orchestras. "Musical America" named him its "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 2000...
, Chin Kim
Chin kim
Chin Kim is a Korean-born American classical violinist, largely educated in the United States through the Juilliard School, and the Curtis Institute of Music.-Activities:...
, Shunsuke Sato
Shunsuke Sato
is a Japanese born, classical and baroque violinist and violist.-Musical activities:Sato started his concert career in the United States at 12, by winning the Young Concert Artists first prize in 1997, performing throughout North America, Europe, and Japan as a soloist with orchestras such as...
, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
Nadja Rose Catherine Salerno-Sonnenberg is an Italian-born classical violinist, author, and teacher. She is a United States citizen.-Career:...
, Angèle Dubeau
Angèle Dubeau
Angèle Dubeau, CM, CQ is a Québécoise violinist.Dubeau is a graduate and First Prize winner of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal. She studied at the Juilliard School of Music with Dorothy DeLay and later went to Romania to work with Ştefan Gheorghiu...
, Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
, Alyssa Park, Misha Keylin
Misha Keylin
Since his New York Carnegie Hall début at age 11, violinist Misha Keylin has earned critical acclaim. Keylin’s recital and guest soloist appearances with an orchestras have brought him to major venues throughout the world, spanning over forty countries across five continents.Keylin has garnered...
, Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz is an Israeli violin virtuoso, violist and conductor. He regularly appears with orchestras and conductors on the international scene and is heard in recitals and chamber music concerts around the world.- Awards :...
, and Gil Shaham
Gil Shaham
-Biography:Gil Shaham was born in Urbana, Illinois, while his parents, Israeli scientists, were on an academic fellowship at the University of Illinois. His father Jacob was an astrophysicist, and his mother, Meira Diskin, was a cytogeneticist. His sister is the pianist Orli Shaham. He is a...
, among others. She also taught many significant orchestral musicians and pedagogues, such as Simon Fischer, author of Basics, Paul Kantor
Paul Kantor
Paul Kantor is recognized as one of the leading violin pedagogues of his generation and is one of the most in-demand teachers in the United States today. Kantor is a professor at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He continues the pedagogical lineage of Dorothy DeLay...
, pedagogue at Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland Institute of Music
The Cleveland Institute of Music is an independent music conservatory located in the University Circle district of Cleveland, Ohio, United States and is overseen by president Joel Smirnoff and Adrian Daly, dean....
, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Robert Chen
Robert Chen
Robert Chen is a Taiwanese-born violinist who currently serves as the Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Violin at Roosevelt University...
, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its primary performing venue is the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts...
(also doubling in the Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
) concertmaster Frank Almond, and Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim
David Kim
David Kim is a violinist born in Carbondale, Illinois and was the only American to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1986, where he got sixth prize. Since 1999, he has been the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra...
.
In a 1992 interview, Salerno-Sonnenberg said: "I think the greatest things about Dorothy DeLay is that she has the ability to look at a young student or an old student and pretty much size up their character and the way that they think -- their personality, basically -- and how in a short period of time what's the best door to use to get them into here. And that's her method -- the fact that there is really no method."
Itzhak Perlman said of DeLay's pedagogic approach: "I would come and play for her, and if something was not quite right, it wasn't like she was going to kill me. She would ask questions about what you thought of particular phrases -- where the top of the phrase was, and so on. We would have a very friendly, interesting discussion about 'Why do you think it should sound like this?' and 'What do you think of that?' I was not quite used to this way of approaching things."
DeLay's students have gone forward to solo careers, principal orchestra positions with the world's leading orchestras, and have gone on to win many of the major violin competitions of the world.
In 1975, she was recognized by ASTA
American String Teachers Association
The American String Teacher's Association is a professional organization based in the United States for music teachers. It is the largest such national organization in the US for string teachers. It promotes learning to play string instruments in the next generation of American students, and...
with their Artist Teacher Award.
In 2003, Itzhak Perlman was appointed to his teacher's position at Juilliard, the Dorothy Richard Starling Chair of Violin Studies. The position was established in 1997 with a leadership grant from the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation to The Campaign for Juilliard and was held by DeLay until the time of her death in March 2002.
External links
for an in-depth profile of Miss DeLay, see Helen Epstein's book Music Talks, now on Kindle. This is also available as a separate article on Kindle.