Siatkin, Felix
Siatkin, Felix
Siatkin, Felix , American violinist and conductor, father of Leonard (Edward) Siatkin ; b. St. Louis, Dec. 22, 1915; d. Los Angeles, Feb. 8, 1963. He studied violin with Zimbalist and conducting with Reiner at the Curtis Inst. of Music in Philadelphia. He was a member of the St. Louis Sym. Orch. (1931–37). In 1937 he went to Los Angeles, where he played in film studio orchs. In 1947 he organized the Hollywood String Quartet, which gave regular performances until it was dissolved in 1961. He also was active as a conductor, especially in programs of light music. In 1939 he married the cellist Eleanor Aller Siatkin (b. N.Y., May 20, 1917; d. Los Angeles, Oct. 12, 1995). She studied with her father and at the Juilliard School of Music in N.Y. At the age of 12 she played at N.Y.’s Carnegie Hall. She was principal cellist in the Warner Brothers studio orch. in Hollywood from 1939 to 1963, and also was a member of the Hollywood String Quartet. From 1968 to 1970 she was head of the string dept. at DePaul Univ. in Chicago.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire