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Ania Dorfmann facts for kids

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Ania Dorfmann (born July 9, 1899, died April 21, 1984) was a talented pianist and teacher. She was from Russia and later became an American citizen. She taught piano at the famous Juilliard School in New York for many years. Ania Dorfmann was also one of the first women pianists to perform and record with the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini.

Her Musical Journey

Ania Dorfmann was born in Odessa, Russia (which is now in Ukraine) in 1899. Her father was a merchant. She showed her musical talent early, giving her first concert when she was just 11 years old. Around that time, she even played alongside a younger Jascha Heifetz, who became a very famous violinist.

From 1916 to 1917, Ania studied music in Paris. She learned from Isidor Philipp at the Conservatoire de Paris, a well-known music school. After her studies, she went back to Russia. However, Russia was in the middle of a big historical event called the Russian Revolution.

In 1920, she moved back to France. She began her professional music career in Belgium. For the next 15 years, she performed all over Europe and Britain. She played with famous conductors like Willem Mengelberg, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Sir Henry Wood. During this time, she made her home in London. She also performed with other great artists, including the singers John McCormack and Heddle Nash.

Moving to America

Ania Dorfmann made her first performance in New York in 1936 at Town Hall. She played there again in 1938 and 1939. She made history by becoming the first female pianist to be a solo performer with Arturo Toscanini. He was a very famous conductor.

On December 2, 1939, she played Beethoven's Choral Fantasy with Toscanini's NBC Symphony Orchestra. This was the only time Toscanini ever included that piece in his concerts. Later, they performed all of Beethoven's piano concertos together. They also recorded Beethoven's First Concerto in 1945. There is also a recording of a live show from 1939.

Ania Dorfmann settled in the United States in 1938. She traveled around, giving concerts and making recordings. She also performed with conductors like Serge Koussevitzky.

Helping a Movie Star

In 1947, Ania Dorfmann worked closely with the actress Barbara Stanwyck. Barbara was making a movie called The Other Love. In the film, Barbara played a concert pianist. Ania Dorfmann actually played all the piano music heard in the movie. But she also helped Barbara Stanwyck. Ania made Barbara practice for three hours every day! This was so Barbara's hand movements would look real and match the music on screen.

Teaching at Juilliard

In 1956 (some sources say 1966), Ania Dorfmann joined the piano teaching staff at the Juilliard School. This is one of the most respected music schools in the world. She taught there for most of the rest of her life. Many students learned from her, including Lev Natochenny, Solveig Funseth, Minuetta Kessler, Raymond Jackson, Suezenne Fordham, Roman Markowicz, Robert Shannon, and Marian Migdal.

She stopped teaching in June 1983. Ania Dorfmann passed away on April 21, 1984, at the age of 84.

Her Family Life

Ania Dorfmann was married to Vladimir Dorfmann. He was a Russian businessman whom she met in Paris. They had a daughter named Natacha Ullman (1929-1986). Natacha became a writer and used the pen name Natacha Stewart. She wrote a book called "Evil Eye and Other Stories." She also often wrote for The New Yorker magazine. Natacha had two sons, Nicolas and Alex Ullman.

Recordings

Ania Dorfmann made many recordings, mostly for RCA Victor. Some of her notable recordings include:

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