SIUE Professor Emerita and World-Renowned Pianist Ruth Slenczynska Turns 100

SIUE Professor Emerita and World-Renowned Pianist Ruth Slenczynska Turns 100

University Music Department announces May 4 Celebration in her honor

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville announces the 100th birthday of Ruth Slenczynska, College of Arts and Sciences' professor emerita and pianist. Slenczynska is the last surviving pupil of composer-pianist Sergei Rachmaninov. To honor Ruth Slenczynska's life, talent, and accomplishments, SIUE will host the Ruth Slenczynska Centennial Celebration Concert at Dunham Hall Theater, Sunday, May 4, at 3 p.m.

"Ruth Slenczynska, has led a distinguished, inspiring musical life and career, with a public performance career that spanned 93 years," said Therese Dickman, AMLS, Fine Arts Librarian and associate professor of Library and Information Services. "For 37 of those years, Ruth taught diverse students at SIUE who came from throughout the country and world."

Born in Sacramento, California in 1925, Slenczynska's father, Josef Slenczynski, a violinist, imposed a rigorous and disciplinary practice routine beginning at age three. She gave her first recital at age four and took lessons with Arthur Schnabel, Egon Petri, Alfred Cortot, Joseph Hofmann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

In 1964 she accepted a full-time position at SIUE as Artist-in-Residence, a title she retained until 1987. In 1967 Slenczynska married James Kerr, PhD, an SIUE professor of political science. She published a book of memoirs, "Forbidden Childhood," which deals with life as a child prodigy, and a book on piano technique, "Music at Your Fingertips: Aspects of Pianoforte Technique." The pianist returned to SIUE on Sept. 24, 2010, when she performed on the Music Department's new Steinway concert grand, which is dedicated in her husband's memory. She gave her last public concert at SIUE on Jan. 9, 2018.

In 2022 Slenczynska signed a landmark record deal for her last Decca album. "My Life in Music" explores the music of Chopin, a composer who had a heavy influence on the young pianist's childhood. The album, which also features some of the pianist's personal favorites from composers such as Debussy, Barber, Rachmaninoff, and Bach, is out on Decca Classics in conjunction with Universal Music Australia.

SIUE's Lovejoy Library houses the Ruth Slenczynska Collection, which documents her musical life and career in the form of newspaper clippings, correspondence, music programs, photographs, perfomance notes and manuscripts.

Dickman adds, "As Fine Arts Librarian, I have had the privilege to work with the pianist since 1984 as a colleague, providing reference assistance to the Ruth Slenczynska Collection, maintained at Lovejoy Library. Ruth is a beloved pianist and teacher. Her life stories, revealed in many interviews, lovingly convey experience and wisdom. Ruth is a national treasure in my opinion and an international ambassador for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville."

The Slenczynska Centennial Celebration Concert will feature performances by various former Slenczynska students as well as current SIUE pianists, including Angela Kim, DMA. A reception will follow the concert.

To reserve a ticket, visit the registration page.

PHOTOS: Ruth Slenczynska, circa mid-1950s, (Ruth Slenczynska Collection, LIS, SIUE); Slenczynska at SIUE public performance in 2018, photo by Howard Ash; Slenczynska, photo by James J. Kriegsmann (Ruth Slenczynska Collection)