Piano firebrand dies at 93

Piano firebrand dies at 93

RIP

norman lebrecht

December 19, 2022

We have been informed of the death of Sulamita Aronovsky, founder of the London International Piano Competition.

Lithuanian by birth, she studied in Moscow with Grigory Ginsburg and Alexander Goldenweiser.

Reaching London in 1971, she founded the competition two decades later. Her students at the Royal Academy of Music included Peter Lawson, David Fanning, Vovka Ashkenazy, Andrew Wilde, Ian Fountain, Nils Franke, Nicolas Hodges, Nicholas Angelich, Toby Purser and Nicolette Wong.

An extraordinary networker, she secured funding for her piano competition from the electricity board and landed Prince Charles as patron.

Comments

  • Nicolas Hodges says:

    She was a beloved teacher, despite her legendary toughness – and the few times I heard her play showed what a marvellous pianist she must have been. RIP Sulamita.

  • Anthony Sayer says:

    She taught for years at the RNCM, too.

  • Peter Lawson says:

    Worth noting that the first 5 gentlemen in your list (including myself) had the honour of being taught by Sulamita in Manchester !

  • James Brockhurst says:

    RIP Sulimta the world lost an amazing person

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