Obituary: Ruth Slenczynska, 1925–2026
Ruth Slenczynska Kerr (January 15, 1925 – April 22, 2026)
Ruth Julia Slenczynska Kerr (nee Slenczynski) was born in Sacramento, CA in 1925 to Josef Julius and Dorothy (Goldstein) Slenczynski. Her early life was dominated by her extraordinary talents as a pianist. Her first performances were at the age of three and by the age of five, she had received the recognition of pianist Josef Hofmann who proclaimed her as “the most astonishing child prodigy” he had ever heard. Her fame continued to grow as the family moved to Berlin in Oct. 1930 and then to Paris in 1932. With each move, came additional performances, rave reviews and introductions to famous pedagogues and musicians.
At age eight, she gave her New York debut. The New York Times described this concert as an “electrifying experience, something nature has produced in one of its most bounteous moods” and the reviewer, Olin Downes called her the “greatest piano genius since Mozart.” Her fame spread throughout the world. In January 1934, Ruth filled in for the legendary Ignacy Jan Paderewski and later that year, she substituted for Sergei Rachmaninoff in a recital at Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles, playing the major work on his program: Schumann’s Carnaval. This concert was such a success that Rachmaninoff invited her to play for him at his house, which resulted in a series of lessons.
As a teen, she had gained international success and performed throughout the world with major orchestras. In 1941, at age 16, she took a pause from performing. She resumed her performing career after the death of her father in 1951, receiving high acclaim for her performances at the Carmel Bach Festival that year. She changed her surname to “Slenczynska” shortly thereafter.
As an adult, she recorded 14 albums for the Music Library, RCA, and Decca labels. In addition to her extensive solo recital and concerto performances, she gave over 360 concerts while on tour in the late 1950s with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra. In her 80s and 90s, she gave extensive tours throughout Japan and Taiwan. The LiuMAER label published ten volumes of recordings of these live performances in their 10-volume CD series The Art of Ruth Slenczynska. In 2020, Slenczynska’s American Decca LPs from the 1960s were reissued on 10 CDs by the Eloquence label which received rave reviews. Her final professional recording, My Life in Music, was produced by David Frost in NYC on the Decca Classics label. This recording remains on the Amazon Best Seller listing for Classical Music CDs. Ruth received many distinguished awards throughout her life. The most recent awards included an honorary doctorate from Curtis Institute of Music in 2022 and the “Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award” from the New York Dance & Arts Innovations at the Polish Embassy in 2024.
In addition to her major teachers–Josef Hofmann and Isabelle Vengerova at Curtis Institute; Egon Petri and Artur Schnabel in Berlin; Alfred Cortot and Nadia Boulanger in Paris; and Sergei Rachmaninoff, she also knew the giants of her time. To name only a few, she met and performed for Francis Poulenc, Igor Stravinsky, Samuel Barber, and Hector Villa Lobos. She performed for USA presidents including: Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy, and she was given distinguished awards by Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. She played a four-hand duet with Harry Truman. She was invited for tea by the Empress of Japan during her tours there and was personal friends with other great artists such as Alicia de Larrocha, Jorge Bolet, Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein, Claudia Arrau, Yvonne Loriod, and Jascha Heifetz. She also was friends with Hollywood stars such as Olivia de Havilland from Gone with the Wind and Clifton Webb.
Ruth cared deeply about those who heard her music. Prior to the dominance of the Internet, every fan or student who wrote her a note received a long-handwritten note in reply. In later years, she replied via email when possible. She maintained this practice until 2024 when she was no longer able to monitor her correspondence.
Ruth was a devoted pedagogue who gave generous amounts of time to each student. Her primary position was as at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) where she served as the Artist-in-Residence from 1964 to 1987 and then part-time until 2001. In addition to this primary position, she was the Artist-in-Residence at Soochow University in Tapei, Taiwan from 2002–2003 where she gave a series of masterclasses with students and teachers performing piano concertos. In addition, she gave masterclasses and workshops all over the world throughout her life and taught private students in her apartment in NYC from 2003–2020.
In addition to her teaching and concert work, Slenczynska wrote numerous articles which were published in Clavier, Fanfare, Keyboard, and Piano Quarterly and two books: Forbidden Childhood (Doubleday,1957) which deals with life as a child prodigy and Music at Your Fingertips: Advice for the Artist and Amateur on Playing the Piano (Da Capo press 1961, 1976) which includes numerous practice tips.
Ruth was a devoted wife and aunt. She married James Kerr, a Professor of Political Science at SIUE, in 1967. Jim was the love of her life and soulmate. They enjoyed cooking gourmet meals together, travel, and art. When reflecting on these years in her 2022 interview for CBS Sunday Morning, she recalled that these were the happiest years of her life and that “I would marry him all over again.”
Ruth was a lifelong learner. She never included fingering in her scores because she wanted to discover the score anew each time she prepared the work for a performance. Prior to each lesson, she reviewed the music for the works that the student was scheduled to play. She was never content to rely on her past knowledge or experiences but stayed current with recent scholarship. Each weekend, she studied the New York Times to discover new composers and trends in music. The following day often included a trip to the Julliard bookstore to purchase a score. Her apartment in NYC was filled with books on a variety of topics. Even in her final years, in addition to books about music, she often read short stories by Guy de Maupassant in French and American classics.
She regularly shared her love for art with her students and family. Visits to NYC to see her often included visits to the Metropolitan Art Museum or the Museum of Modern Art where Ruth was a member. She especially enjoyed Impressionistic art and studied its work and history a great deal.
She loved to walk, and regularly students and friends reveled in the fact that they had to run to keep up with her pace! Paris was her favorite city in all the world, and she loved everything that reminded her of this location, including croissants. She spoke fluent French until the end of her life.
Ruth gave tirelessly to others through her music and financial support. At the request of Michelle Obama, she gave numerous recitals to help raise money for an all-black student college. In addition, she performed recitals throughout Japan to help raise money for the tsunami victims. She regularly supported Doctors Without Borders and other charity organizations.
Ruth was an inspiration to all through her resilient nature. Despite her difficult childhood as a child prodigy with a demanding father who put enormous pressure on her, she overcame her past and continued to perform. She overcame periods of great loss, such as the death of her husband, and moved forward. She always adapted to the challenges that surrounded her, including learning new technologies during the Pandemic, and learning to live with an aging body in the final years. She encouraged everyone around her to keep their thoughts and mind on the future and not to dwell on past successes or failures.
Her musical career is documented through the Ruth Slenczynska Collection in Lovejoy Library at SIUE. At Ruth Slenczynska’s request, her two grand pianos have been recently gifted to the college. In addition, a display case for the music department has been purchased which will display the Fabergé egg that Rachmaninoff gave her as a child, as well as a revolving display of her books, CDs, awards, photos and various documents from the collection.
A memorial service will be held at SIUE on August 30, 2026 at 3:00 pm. In addition, memorial concerts at various locations will be announced at a later date.
Ruth Slenczynska Kerr was preceded in death by her parents and sisters, Helen Lee and Gloria Vickers. She is survived by nieces, nephews, admirers, and thousands of past students all over the world who think of her as their Mother Music. We will always remember the smile on her face when she played her music and the joy that she felt at our successes. Her music and legacy will live on forever.
Dr. Shelly Moorman-Stahlman
Professor of Music,
Lebanon Valley College
