Jeannette Durno (July 12, 1876 – September 5, 1963) was a Canadian-born American pianist.

Early life

Jeannette St. John was born in

Walkerton, Ontario Walkerton is a town in the municipality of Brockton, Ontario, Brockton, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is the site of Brockton's municipal offices and is the county seat. Walkerton is located on the Saugeen River, at the junction of Highway 9 ...

, the daughter of William Brethour St. John and Margaret Legge St. John. She was adopted by an aunt and uncle as a little girl, and raised in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...

with the surname ''Durno''. She attended

Rockford College Rockford or Rockfords may refer to: Places United States * Rockford, Alabama, a town * Rockford, Idaho, a census-designated place * Rockford, Illinois, a city, the largest municipality of this name * Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois, a Unite ...

. She studied piano in Vienna, with

Theodor Leschetizky Theodor Leschetizky (sometimes spelled Leschetitzky; ; 22 June 1830 – 14 November 1915) was a Polish pianist, professor, and composer active in Austria-Hungary. He was born in Landshut in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, then a crown land ...

; she also trained as a vocalist.

Career

Jeannette Durno was a frequent guest soloist with the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

. She toured in the United States and Canada, mostly in the midwest, but also appearing in New York and Boston. She played in Los Angeles at the Biennial Festival of the National Federation of Music Clubs in 1915. She made some piano rolls of her performances of works by Liszt, Debussy, Grieg, and Chopin. She was known especially for her interpretations of Chopin. "Among the younger pianists of the middle western states few more notable are to be found that Miss Jeannette Durno of Chicago," explained one publication in 1899. She also taught piano in Chicago. Among her students were Canadian pianists Evelyn Eby,

Neil Chotem Neil Chotem (9 September 1920 – 21 February 2008) was a Canadian composer, arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, ...

, and Lyell Gustin. She also taught music pedagogy to piano teachers.

Frank La Forge Frank La Forge (October 22, 1879 – May 5, 1953) was an American pianist, vocal coach, teacher, composer and arranger of art songs. Biography He was born on October 22, 1879, in Rockford, Illinois. La Forge was a boy soprano. He first stu ...

dedicated a 1911 composition titled "Romance" to Durno. She was active in the Musicians Club of Women. "To me, a pianist lacking spontaneity is uninteresting," Durno told an interviewer in 1920. "Therefore it is one of my especial aims, both in my own playing and in my teaching, to preserve freshness and avoid the obviously studied effort, which is unfortunately noticeable in so much piano playing."

Personal life

Jeannette Durno married her manager, Dunstan Collins, in 1901. They divorced in 1910. She was a champion amateur golfer in Chicago. She died in 1963, aged 87 years, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Her grave is with that of her pianist sister, Blanche St. John Baker, in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

References

External links

*
A recording of Jeannette Durno
playing Mendelssohn's "Scherzo" in 1915 (on SoundCloud; originally on piano roll). {{DEFAULTSORT:Durno, Jeannette 1876 births 1963 deaths People from Bruce County Musicians from Rockford, Illinois Canadian emigrants to the United States Rockford University alumni American women classical pianists American classical pianists 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists Classical musicians from Illinois Musicians from Ontario Golfers from Illinois