Annabelle Whitestone, Baroness Weidenfeld (born October 1944), daughter of Cmdr. Nicholas Whitestone RN and Lorna Birkenshaw Whitestone, is an English former concert

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

working with classical music

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

s including Ingpen & Williams, Ibbs and Tillett, Wilfrid Van Wyck, the English Bach Festival and, at the insistence and encouragement of the great violinist

Henryk Szeryng Henryk Bolesław Szeryng (usually pronounced ''HEN-r-ik SHEH-r-in-g'') (22 September 19183 March 1988) was a Polish- Mexican violinist. Early years He was born in Warsaw, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy Jewish family. The surname ...

, Conciertos Daniel in Madrid. Harvey Sachs Rubinstein: A Life The Polish-American pianist

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

credited Whitestone with assisting the careers of two of his

protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

s, François-René Duchâble and Janina Fialkowska. In 1977, the 90-year-old Rubinstein left his wife Nela Młynarska after 45 years of marriage for Whitestone and lived with her in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, until he died in 1982. Whitestone helped Rubinstein to write the second volume of his autobiography, ''My Many Years'', which he dedicated to her. Rubinstein's first collaborator was Tony Madigan, whom he met in

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the re ...

, and he transcribed the early part of the book. Whitestone convened ''Remembering Rubinstein'', a day of talks and concerts at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

on 22 January 2008, to honour the pianist "who once sold as many records as rock stars and was as much at ease in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

as he was with his chums

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

and

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

." Lady Weidenfeld is a member of the board of directors of the Jerusalem Music Centre and the advisory board of the Jerusalem Foundation, and a member of the board of directors of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society. Lady Weidenfeld was also the personal manager of the legendary late concert pianist

Menahem Pressler Menahem Pressler (; 16 December 1923 – 6 May 2023) was a German-born Israeli-American pianist and academic teacher. He was known for his work with the Beaux Arts Trio that he co-founded in 1955, playing until its dissolution in 2008, in hund ...

who dedicated his last Deutsche Grammophon recording of French music, “Clair de Lune” to her. She was his partner from 2016 until his death in 2023. Annabelle Whitestone was married to British publisher Lord Weidenfeld from 1992 until he died in 2016. She later began a relationship with pianist

, whom she had known since 1966, and lasted until his death in 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitestone, Annabelle Living people Secretaries English editors British music managers 1944 births Weidenfeld Spouses of life peers