Dorfmann, Ania (1899–1984)
Dorfmann, Ania (1899–1984)
Russian-American pianist who was the only woman to record a concerto with Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Born in Odessa, Russia, on July 9, 1899; died in New York City on April 21, 1984; taught at Juilliard in addition to concertizing.
The brilliant instrumentalist Ania Dorfmann, born in Odessa, Russia, on July 9, 1899, first appeared in public before World War I as an accompanist to Jascha Heifetz. At age 12, she was enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire where she studied with Isidor Philipp. Dorfmann left Russia in 1920, touring Europe as a concert artist. She settled in the United States in 1936 and performed with Arturo Toscanini and his NBC Symphony Orchestra in December 1939. In the last decades of her career, she taught at the Juilliard School. In 1945, Dorfmann became the only woman to record a concerto with Arturo Toscanini and his NBC Symphony, in this case the Beethoven First Piano Concerto. Among her
other recordings were the complete Songs without Words of Felix Mendelssohn.
John Haag , Athens, Georgia