Klara Berkovich facts for kids

Klara Yefimovna Berkovich (born Gordion; 19 May 1928 – 22 July 2024) was a talented violinist and a highly respected violin teacher. She taught music in both the Soviet Union and the United States. Klara was known for helping young violinists become amazing musicians.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Klara Berkovich was born in Odesa, Ukraine, in 1928. At that time, Odesa was part of the Soviet Union. Her father, Yefim, was a machinist, and her mother, Adele, taught Russian language.

Odesa was a very important city for violin music. A famous teacher named Pyotr Stolyarsky had developed a special way to teach violin to young children, even as young as four years old. Many famous violinists, like David Oistrakh, came from Odesa because of this teaching method.

In 1934, when Klara was seven, she began learning violin at Special Music School No. 1. Her teacher was Viktor Karakes, who had studied with Pyotr Stolyarsky. Klara also went to regular school in Odesa, balancing her music with other subjects.

Life During World War II

When Klara was 13, World War II started for the Soviet Union. German armies invaded Ukraine, and life in Odesa became very difficult. Klara's father, Yefim, who was 49, was called to join the Soviet army. The family never saw him again.

Because they were Jewish, Klara and her mother faced great danger from the Nazi forces. On August 12, 1941, they quickly left Odesa by ship, crossing the Black Sea. They found safety in a small village called Kafkas for about a year. During this time, Klara taught her very first violin student!

In August 1942, as the Germans moved deeper into the Soviet Union, Klara and her mother had to leave Kafkas. They traveled alone, mostly on foot, hitchhiking, and even riding freight trains. They slept in train stations and city squares. To survive, they took odd jobs and sold what they could, like Mrs. Gordion's wedding ring. In just two months, they traveled over 1,500 miles!

They arrived in Novosibirsk, a city in Siberia, in October 1942. It was already freezing cold. Klara and her mother stayed in Novosibirsk until the war ended. Klara continued her high school studies and also resumed violin lessons at the Novosibirsk Special Music School. Her new teacher, Josef Gutmann, had also fled from the Germans. He helped Klara improve her playing, making it easier and more relaxed. He also prepared her for advanced music studies.

After the War: Back in Odesa

In 1945, World War II ended. Klara graduated from high school in Novosibirsk. She and her mother returned to Odesa, which had been badly damaged by the war.

Klara, now 17, tried out for the Odesa Conservatory, a famous music school. She was accepted and studied with Leonid Lembersky. He was a well-known teacher and performer who had also studied with Pyotr Stolyarsky.

Klara studied for five years under Lembersky. In 1951, at age 23, she earned her master's degree in Chamber Music and Teaching. The same year, she got a job as a first violinist in the Orchestra of the Odesa Theatre of Opera and Ballet.

Moving to Leningrad

After playing in the Odesa opera orchestra for two years, Klara met Adam Adolfovich Berkovich. They had known each other a little as children. They soon married. Adam was an army engineer based in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), so Klara and her mother moved there in 1953.

In Leningrad, Klara wanted to teach violin, but she didn't know anyone in the music world. When she asked for a job, she was told there were no openings for new teachers in the city. However, there was a job in Vyborg, a town about six hours away by train. Klara took it!

Every Wednesday, she would take the midnight train to Vyborg. She taught children there from Thursday to Saturday, then returned to Leningrad on Saturday night. After a year, her work was reviewed by music officials in Leningrad. They were so impressed that they gave her a permanent teaching job at the Special School for the Musically Gifted in the Petrograd area of Leningrad.

From 1954 to 1978, Klara Berkovich taught at this Special School. She focused on students in grades 1-8, preparing them to enter the top preparatory high school of the Leningrad Conservatory. She became one of the most respected teachers of young violinists in the city. Many of her students became successful musicians.

Moving to the United States

In 1978, Klara's mother, Adele, passed away. At this time, the Soviet Union was briefly allowing more Jewish people to leave the country. Klara and Adam had always believed their two sons would have better opportunities elsewhere. They decided to emigrate.

To avoid problems at work, Mrs. Berkovich quietly retired from her teaching job in December 1978. She had taught for 25 years and was eligible for a pension. Right after her retirement, Adam applied for the family to leave the country. He was fired from his job for this decision.

After waiting four months in Leningrad, the Berkovich family received their visas in March 1979. They were only allowed to take three suitcases for their family of four. Klara's own valuable violin was not allowed to leave the country, so she gave it to one of her students. However, her son's violin was allowed to go with them.

They first went to Vienna, Austria, where Jewish aid groups helped them. After two months, they traveled to a suburb of Rome, Italy. They waited several more weeks there for their entry visas to the United States.

A New Start in Baltimore

In June 1979, the Berkovich family flew to Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. Klara and Adam were 51 years old, and their sons were 20 and 24. Klara knew very little English, only three sentences: "My name is Klara," "I come from Leningrad," and "I am a violin teacher."

Without any music contacts in Baltimore, Mrs. Berkovich began learning English. She also taught violin for free to children of other Soviet immigrants in the Jewish community. When she felt her students were ready, she formed them into a performing group. They played in synagogues, schools, and at outdoor fairs—anywhere they could share their music.

After nine months of teaching, Klara invited Lynn Taylor Hebden, the director of the Peabody Conservatory's preparatory division, to one of their performances. After the concert, Ms. Hebden offered scholarships to Klara's students at the Peabody Preparatory. She also offered Klara a part-time teaching job, asking her to continue teaching those same students under the school's program.

In September 1980, Klara Berkovich started teaching her first English-speaking students and became a regular part-time instructor at the Peabody Preparatory. Soon after, she found a second part-time job. She gave violin lessons to talented public school students in Baltimore at two locations: City College High School and Roland Park Elementary School. This was part of the Baltimore Talent Education Center (BTEC), a special city-wide program. Since she had to travel between locations, Mrs. Berkovich, at age 52, bought a used car and learned to drive!

Her part-time status didn't last long. In May 1981, both the Peabody Prep and BTEC offered her full-time teaching positions with benefits. She also continued to teach private students at her home. In 1984, she started teaching during the summer at a children's workshop called the Bryn Mawr String Camp. In the summer of 1985, a five-year-old beginner named Hilary Hahn was in her elementary class at the camp. A few months later, Hilary joined Klara's studio at the Peabody Preparatory. Hilary Hahn would go on to become a world-famous violinist.

Klara's Teaching Style

Hilary Hahn often spoke about Klara Berkovich's teaching. Hilary said, "She taught me how to draw my bow, how to play double stops, vibrato, pizzicato—basically everything you need to know to play the violin." Klara also taught her how to make music sound interesting.

Klara had some memorable sayings. She would tell Hilary, "You only have to practice on the days you eat," meaning practice every day! She also said, "What shows a true musician is that you can sustain a long line in a slow section." This meant playing a long, smooth note or phrase beautifully.

When students were going to perform, Klara would tell them, "When you perform, you're the hostess. The audience members are the guests you invite into your house. You give them the gift of the performance." She wanted students to focus on sharing their music and making the audience enjoy it.

Klara also believed in a positive learning environment. She told the Baltimore Sun newspaper, "I know many children who are very gifted. But if the children are not taught how to organize themselves, how to work, how to be goal-oriented, then their talent does not become realized." She meant that talent needs hard work and good habits to grow.

She paid close attention to what her students could handle. When talking about Hilary Hahn, Klara said, "She was 5 when I met her... Five and a half years later, she played a solo recital that took more than an hour." Klara noted that Hilary was naturally musical, bright, organized, and focused. "Whatever I told her, it was done for the next lesson," Klara said. Even though Hilary progressed very quickly, Klara was careful not to push her too hard. She would ask Hilary's parents, "Doesn't she complain it's too hard for her?" But Hilary never did. Klara always made sure her students were not overworked.

Later Life and Legacy

Klara Berkovich's reputation as a teacher grew quickly in the United States. Her students' excellent playing and her clear teaching style helped her become well-known. She taught many classes and workshops throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

In May 1989, she was named "String Teacher of the Year" by the Maryland/D.C. chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Klara Berkovich retired from teaching at the Baltimore Talent Education Center in 1990. In 1992, she retired from the Peabody Preparatory. However, she continued to teach a small group of private students in her home well into her 80s.

Klara Berkovich passed away on July 22, 2024, at the age of 96. She left behind a legacy of inspiring young musicians and helping them achieve their dreams.