- Balsam, Artur
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▪ 1995Polish-born U.S. pianist (b. Feb. 8, 1906, Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire—d. Sept. 1, 1994, New York, N.Y.), was an accomplished soloist, accompanist for violin and cello, and chamber musician whose elegant interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn sonatas distinguished his vast repertoire. Balsam received his musical training in Lodz, Poland, where he made his concert debut at the age of 12. He attended the Lodz Conservatory and the Berlin State Academy of Music and was the winner of the 1930 International Piano Competition and the 1931 Mendelssohn Prize. The following year he toured with violinist Yehudi Menuhin in the U.S., his permanent home after the rise of the Nazis. He recorded about 250 works, notably the complete set of Mozart violin and piano sonatas (with Oscar Shumsky), the Beethoven violin sonatas (with Joseph Fuchs), and cello sonatas (with Zara Nelsova). During the 1960s he performed as a member of a trio with violinist William Kroll and cellist Benar Heifetz. He also taught at Boston University, the Manhattan School of Music, New York City, and the Philadelphia Academy of Music. From 1956 to 1992 he headed a chamber music summer school in Maine.
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Universalium. 2010.
