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Leo Podolsky (May 25, 1891 – October 1, 1987) was a classical pianist and educator.
Biography
Podolsky was born in Odessa,Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
on May 25, 1891.
Leo Podolsky had many piano teachers in his youth, but George Lalewicz was credited as the most successful. Podolsky also studied at the Cracow Conservatory, and, eventually, he enrolled in the Vienna Academy of Music, where he won the Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
and the Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sa ...
prizes. Podolsky made his Berlin debut in 1912.
Podolsky had reached agreement on an international concert tour at the time of his graduation, but it was canceled at the onset of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He was inducted into the Russian military, and during his service, gave concerts in Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
. Stranded in Yokohama, Japan
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
by the Russian Revolution, Podolsky gave 426 performances in a tour of Asia and the Pacific Rim that he organized. He also appeared with symphony orchestras in Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
, Japan, China, the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, Federated Malay States, Dutch East Indies, British India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and Ceylon. Upon his return to Europe, Podolsky taught at Berlin's New Conservatory of Music and gave concerts throughout Europe. Podolsky made his United States debut in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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in 1924 where he gave three recitals over eight weeks. He also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenu ...
. He made his New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
debut on December 1, 1927 at Town Hall.
Podolsky headed the piano department at Saint Marys College in Notre Dame, Indiana for 18 years, and he joined the faculty of the Sherwood Music School in Chicago in 1926. Podolsky moved to Burbank, California in 1983 after the death of his second wife. His extensive collection of music memorabilia was donated to the University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
Music Department on his death.“Podolsky: Link is lost to czarist Russia's musical past,” ''Los Angeles Daily News'', article, October 9, 1987, Richard S. Ginell
Leo Podolsky recorded numerous piano rolls for the American Piano Company (Ampico).
He died in Los Angeles, California on October 1, 1987.
Books written or edited by Leo Podolsky
* ''Khaki and Tails: The Autobiography of Dr. Leo Podolsky'', By Leo Podolsky, distributed by TMR Productions, 1977 * ''Piano Progress: Approach to Music for the Partially Sighted'', By June Davison, Ardella Schaub, Leo Podolsky, Volkwein, 1972 * ''Duet Playing: Piano,'' edited by Leo Podolsky, Alfred Publishing, 1985Further Reading and Listening
* Interview with Leo Podolsky, By Sulamit Vickers, American Jewish Committee, New York Public Library, Dorot Jewish Division. Oral History Collection, New York Public Library, Published 1979Footnotes