Claudette Sorel (10 October 1932 – 6 August 1999) was a French-American pianist and educator. She was an advocate of equal rights for women in the arts, and especially equal rights for women whose aspirations were to become pianists.

Early life and education

Sorel was born in Paris, France, on 10 October 1932. She emigrated to the United States with her family in 1940 prior to the Nazi invasion of France. At age 10 she received a scholarship to study at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

, and at age 11 she debuted on the concert recital stage, performing with the

New York Philharmonic Orchestra The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. A reviewer in ''The New York Times'' wrote that "a child capable of so polished and eloquent an example of pianism has a future worth watching". She went on to study at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

from 1948 to 1953, and simultaneously studied mathematics at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Career

She performed frequently as a piano soloist both during and after her studies. While researching the composer

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

, Sorel discovered two

nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

s by the composer that had never previously been performed. She premiered these in 1973 at a recital celebrating the composer's centenary. This was her last public recital – the following year she was injured in a fall on an ice-covered sidewalk and quit performing. Later in her life, Sorel published books for young pianists and taught piano at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

and SUNY Fredonia. At SUNY she chaired the piano department and was the first woman to be named a Distinguished Professor at the institution. Sorel founded the Sorel Organization in 1996, dedicated to the memory of her parents; this organization promotes women in music. She was an advocate for women in the arts, publishing an article in ''Music Journal'' in 1968 advocating equal opportunities for women pianists. Sorel died of cancer in

Hampton Bays, New York Hampton Bays is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. It is considered as part of the region of Long Island known as The Hamptons. The population was 13,603 at the ...

, on 6 August 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorel, Claudette 1932 births 1999 deaths American pianists American women pianists French emigrants to the United States Juilliard School Pre-College Division alumni Columbia University alumni Curtis Institute of Music alumni University of Kansas faculty Ohio State University faculty Musicians from Paris People who emigrated to escape Nazism State University of New York at Fredonia faculty Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American women musicians