Slenczynska Dazzles Crowds, Classes at SIUE
Internationally renowned concert pianist and former Southern Illinois University Edwardsville faculty member Ruth Slenczynska performed brilliantly before a crowd of 350 in sold-out Dunham Hall Tuesday night Jan. 9, and instructed eight students in master’s classes with an attentive audience of approximately 100 the next afternoon on the SIUE campus.
SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook, who studied under Slenczynska during his undergraduate career at SIUE in the 1970s, was thrilled to bring the accomplished artist back to campus. “It was an honor and privilege to have an artist of the caliber of Ruth Slenczynska on our campus for a sensational recital this week,” Pembrook said. “It meant even more because of her previous position at SIUE as artist-in-residence. I feel so fortunate to have studied with her at SIUE. Her input as a musician, teacher and mentor changed my life.”
The 92-year-old Slenczynska’s SIUE connection was established in 1964 when she accepted a full-time position as artist-in-residence, a title she retained until 1988. She married James Kerr, PhD, an SIUE political science professor in 1967.
Slenczynska’s program drew three standing ovations as it contained music by Shostakovich, Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Chopin. As a result of all of the applause, she played a rare encore. One of the attendees thanked her for “sharing a bit of her soul.”
The master class was riveting as the students received positive lessons from Slenczynska, and her skills as an amazing teacher were fully on display. She talked about feeling the music and improvising where the composer didn’t mark the score, but if the composer “denoted something as forte, then you need to play it forte.”
Slenczynska’s itinerary for the week also included receptions that featured former students and former faculty colleagues. The student reunion found people huddled around Ruth, talking about her classes, where they ended up in their careers and how much she impacted their lives. Individuals came from as far away as Louisiana, New Mexico and California to attend.
“The reception provided an opportunity for many of her former students to connect again after being, in some cases, decades apart,” Pembrook said. “It was so invigorating to share stories of our lives since being at SIUE and to re-visit the years when we were studying music at SIUE with Ms. Slenczynska.”
Slenczynska currently teaches private students in New York City, gives master classes and lectures, and is a juror for various piano competitions. This was her first performance at SIUE since 2010 and her second concert on the new grand piano that is dedicated to the memory of her late husband.
A Sacramento native, Slenczynska gave her first piano recital at age four, and studied with Josef Hofmann at the Curtis Institute of Music the next year. Shortly thereafter in Europe, she studied piano with Artur Schnabel, Egon Petri, Alfred Cortot, and Sergei Rachmaninoff, and composition with Madame Nadia Boulanger.
Slenczynska made her debut in Berlin at age six and in Paris at age seven. She became an instant musical sensation, heralded as one of the greatest child prodigies since Mozart.
Slenczynska’s life changed dramatically with the death of her beloved husband in 2001. After completing her remaining SIUE part-time teaching assignments, she accepted an artist-in-residence teaching position at Soochow University in Taipei, Taiwan for the 2002-2003 academic year. While in Taipei, she was invited to perform in Japan, a first for the 78-year-old pianist. This led to subsequent trips to Japan and a highly acclaimed series of 11 CD recordings, entitled “The Art of Ruth Slenczynska,” under the Liu MAER label. These featured Brahms’ complete piano character pieces, Chopin’s scherzi, ballades, études, and preludes, and sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin.
Photo: Ruth Slenczynska at the piano and receiving flowers after her performance at SIUE.
