Sulamita Aronovsky

Sulamita Aronovsky (née Ziuraitiene; 5 May 1929 – 15 December 2022) was a Lithuanian-born British classical pianist and piano teacher who spent her formative years in Moscow and Soviet-occupied Lithuania, moving to London in 1971.

Aronovsky was born in Kaunas, Lithuania on 5 May 1929.[1] Her teachers included Lev Barenboim, Abram Schatzkes, Grigory Ginsburg and Alexander Goldenweiser. An experienced Juror of International Competitions, she founded the London International Piano Competition in 1991.[2]

In 1971, after visiting family in the USA, she decided to defect to Britain, where she settled in Manchester, teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music.[1]

In the 1990s, Aronovsky moved to London, where she served as Professor of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music.[1][3]

Aronovsky's students included Peter Lawson, David Fanning, Julia Goldstein, Vovka Ashkenazy, Melani Mestre, Michael Bell, John Thwaites, Pamela Chowhan, Ian Flint, Amir Katz, Andrew Wilde, Ian Fountain, Stefan Ćirić, Junko Urayama, Nils Franke, Howard Evans, Gareth Jones, Nicolas Hodges, Beate Perrey, Jonathan Powell,[4] Nicholas Angelich, Raul Jimenez, Toby Purser, Nicolette Wong, Panos Karan, Mantautas Katinas and Riyad Nicolas among others.

Aronovsky died on 15 December 2022, at the age of 93.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Sulamita Aronovsky, pianist and teacher who defected from the USSR and founded the London International Piano Competition – obituary". The Telegraph. 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023. (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Pianos and Pianists - 4th World Piano Competition London". mvdaily.com.
  3. ^ "Royal Academy of Music - Study & Departments > Select a department > biogs > Sulamita Aronovsky". Archived from the original on 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
  4. ^ "Jonathan Powell ‒ Pianist".