•
The Music Study
Club is celebrating
70 years of helping
up-and-coming
young artists.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Musical
Producers
cclaimed musicians Itzhak Pert-
man, Pinchas Zukerman and
Emanuel Ax share a common
tie to Michigan — the Music
Study Club of Metropolitan De-
troit.
When these artists were just
launching their careers, the club
learned of their talents through
personal and agency contacts
and invited them to perform
here.
Besides providing a stage for
exceptional talent, the club uses
performance proceeds to finance
scholarships of other young and
promising instrumentalists.
This year, as the group
marks its 70th anniversary, the
celebration goes way beyond
longevity. It plays into all the
success stories members have
helped write.
"Awarding scholarships is
the most important thing we
do," said president Bernice Pin-
sky, who has been a member for
nearly 14 years. "Our aim is to
give scholarships to talented,
young musicians in Michigan,
and this is what our fund rais-
ing is for."
Besides the annual artist
concert, the organization also
raises money through funds es-
tablished by individuals, con-
tributions and dues.
Since 1980, grants amount-
ing to $160,000 have been giv-
en to advanced music students
who have demonstrated great
ability. They include instru-
mentalists between the ages of
16 and 25 and singers and com-
posers between the ages of 19
and 30.
In addition to paying for tu-
ition at prestigious schools
around the country, the club as-
sists students receiving other
scholarship benefits, but who
are still in need of living ex-
penses.
"All our scholarship dona-
Above, Elaine
Kohner and
Ann Ross
rehearse with,
at right, the
Music Study
Club choral
group.
tions go strictly for
scholarships, dol-
lar for dollar," said
Claire Brown,
scholarship chair-
man. "There isn't
one cent that goes out for ad-
ministrators.
"Everything is voluntary, and
it seems we never have had to
push people into doing things.
They're always very willing."
That help has taken many
forms — bringing kosher meals
to then teen-ager Itzhak Perl-
man, buying a gown for a de-
buting scholarship winner, rais-
ing travel expenses for a touring
conductor.
Sylvia Scherr, budget chair-
man and a member for more
than 50 years, recalls when the
group was still focused on study,
with one meeting a month de-
voted to music study and an-
other featuring a special pro-
gram, sometimes presented by
the professional musicians who
are part of the membership.
"The study meetings fell by
the wayside some years ago be-
cause a lot of people couldn't
come twice a month," Ms.
Scherr said. "We wound up do-
ing just the program meeting."
The next one, scheduled for
12:15 p.m. March 15 at the
Birmingham Temple, features
cellist Irina Tikhonova and pi-
anist Renee Robbins in a pre-
sentation of "Dances," a suite
composed by Ned Rorem. The
piece was commissioned for the
group's 60th anniversary.
Pianist and University of
Michigan professor Arthur
Green will perform a variety of
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