Sylvia Lent (June 11, 1903 – March 25, 1972) was an American violinist.

Early life

Sylvia Lent was born in

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the daughter of composer and cellist Ernest Lent and pianist Mary (Mamie) Simons Lent. Ernest Lent was born and educated in Germany. She studied violin with her cousin, Gilbert Ross (their mothers were sisters), from childhood through studies in Chicago with

Leopold Auer Leopold von Auer ( hu, Auer Lipót; June 7, 1845July 15, 1930) was a Hungarian violinist, academic, conductor, composer, and instructor. Many of his students went on to become prominent concert performers and teachers. Early life and career Au ...

. Ross later became a music professor at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

. She also studied with

Ovide Musin Ovide Musin (1854–1929) was a Belgian violinist and composer. Life Musin was born in Nandrin Nandrin () is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Nandrin had a total population of 5, ...

and

Franz Kneisel Franz Kneisel (born January 26, 1865, Bucharest - died March 26, 1926, New York) was a violinist and music teacher. He completed early musical training at the Bucharest Conservatory and moved to Vienna in 1879, where he studied under Jakob Grün. ...

Career

Sylvia Lent made her debut concert tour in Germany, playing in Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and Munich in 1922. Her New York debut followed in March 1923. By age 23 she had been featured as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the State Symphony Orchestra of New York, and the New York Symphony Orchestra. She played a rare

Domenico Montagnana Domenico Montagnana (24 June 1686 – 6 March 1750) was an Italian master luthier based in Venice, Italy. He is regarded as one of the finest violin and cello makers of his time. His pieces, particularly his cellos, are sought after by orchestras, ...

violin made in 1735, a gift from a collector in Minnesota. Her youthful appearance and small stature were frequently mentioned in reviews of her concerts, even when she was well into adulthood. "She is petite, sylph-like, with an almost childish face and head," mentioned one 1933 newspaper account, before describing her skills. In 1927 she was the youngest artist ever featured on ''

The Atwater Kent Hour ''The Atwater Kent Hour'' (aka ''The Atwater Kent Radio Hour'') was a top-rated radio concert music program heard on NBC and CBS from October 4, 1925, to December 17, 1934, with stars of the Metropolitan Opera often making appearances. Classical m ...

'' radio program. She made one recording for the

Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidia ...

, in 1924.

Personal life

Sylvia Lent married ''San Francisco Chronicle'' art and music critic

Alfred Frankenstein Alfred Victor Frankenstein (October 5, 1906 – June 22, 1981) was an art and music critic, author, and professional musician. He was the long-time art and music critic for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' from 1934 to 1965. He was noted for champ ...

in 1935. They had two sons, John and David, and lived in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. She died from a heart attack in 1972, aged 69 years, in San Francisco. Her granddaughter Karen Frankenstein is an opera singer.Karen Frankenstein
biography.

References

External links

Alfred Victor Frankenstein Papers

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...

, Smithsonian Institution. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lent, Sylvia 1903 births 1972 deaths American violinists American women violinists 20th-century violinists