- Pearl Chertok
Pearl Chertok (
June 18 ,1918 , inLaconia, New Hampshire -August 1 ,1981 inWhite Plains, New York ) was an internationally regarded harpist and composer forharp . [American Harp Journal, Vol. 8, no. 2, Winter 1981, p. 60]After studying
ballet ,piano andflute as a child, Chertok forwent her senior year of high school to attend theCurtis Institute of Music inPhiladelphia , where she studied withMarjorie Tyre andCarlos Salzedo . She then moved toNew York City where she was staff harpist with theCBS Television Orchestra for many years, appearing on shows such as "The Arthur Godfrey Show " andEd Sullivan 's "Toast of the Town ".Chertok recorded several albums, both for solo harp as well ensemble work. Her solo work included her own compositions, many of which employed an innovative jazz idiom. On her LP "Strings of Pearl" she was accompanied by bongo player
Willie Rodriguez . Other recordings include transcriptions for harp of music by Loeillet, Purcell and others.Chertok also convinced contemporary composers, including
Elie Siegmeister ,Nuncio Mondello ,Edmund Haines andWilliam Mayer , to write for the harp. As a result, numerous pieces are dedicated to her.Chertok was president of the
American Harp Society and was on the faculty of several colleges and universities in the New York City area. [The New York Times, August 3, 1981] Several of her students have gone on to distinguished careers as concert harpists. She served as judge at theInternational Harp Contest in Israel, and a prize named in her honor was awarded in 1982, 1985, 1988 and 1992.Discography
*"Around the Clock Suite" -- Cecile Music Co., NY, PC101A
*"Strings of Pearl" -- Audio Fidelity, AFLP 1805
*"American Harp" -- Orion Master Recordings, ORS 75207
*"The Harp in Chamber Music" -- Orion Master Recordings, ORS 76227
*"Ancient and Modern Dances for Harp" -- Orion Master Recordings, ORS 76231
*"Arco & Pizzicato: Music for Strings" (Pearl Chertok and others) -- Serenus SRS 12062References
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