Winifred Byrd (May 24, 1884 in Salem, Oregon – April 3, 1970 in Los Angeles, California)[1] was an American concert pianist and educator.
Winifred Byrd | |
|---|---|
 Winifred Byrd, from a 1919 publication | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 24, 1884 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Died | 3 April 1970 (aged 85) Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, Educator |
Byrd attended Willamette University and graduated from New England Conservatory (NEC) in 1905. While studying at NEC she won the Spaulding scholarship.[2] Byrd taught for a time at NEC shortly after her graduation.[2]
Byrd studied in Boston with Madame Hopekirk, Carl Baermann, and Theresa Carreño and eventually taught music at Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan.[2]
Byrd made her New York debut on February 27, 1918, and went on to perform in Chicago, Boston, Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco.[3] Impresario Aaron Richmond presented Byrd in Boston in 1925, billing her as "America's Pianist." James Huneker, reviewing a Byrd recital for The New York Times on November 4, 1918, wrote, "She blazes with temperament. She has the energy of a demon." Hunecker also noted Byrd's "Buster Brown coiffure".[4]
Byrd made at least ten Duo-Art reproducing piano rolls, including Franz Liszt's "Dance of the Gnomes", from Concert Étude No. 2, and Chopin's Preludes, Opus 28, No. 1 in C major and No. 23 in F major, for the Aeolian Company.[5]
In July 1925, Byrd sustained fractured ribs when she was struck by a car on New York's 5th Avenue.[6]
Further reading edit
- Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, "Your Salem Family Album," October 26, 1990
References edit
- ^ "Salem Pioneer Cemetery Data". Oregon Health Division Vital Records and Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
- ^ a b c Siller, Mabel Harriet; Florence Arzelia (1917). The History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity (1885–1916). George Banta Publishing.
- ^ Jones, Al. "Winifred Byrd: America's Wonder Pianist". Historic Marion. XV.
- ^ Huneker, James Gibbons (1918-11-05). "Recitals of a Day". The New York Times.
- ^ Aeolian American Corporation (1924). Catalog of Music-rolls for the Duo-Art Reproducing Piano.
- ^ "Winifred Byrd, pianist, Struck by Automobile". Boston Globe. July 29, 1925.
External links edit
- Winifred Byrd, Salem Online History