Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky UMASS Piano
Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky UMASS-Amherst Music Department Piano 1968—2003
Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky circa 1967
Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky (1943 – ) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and came to the United States in 1965.
Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky received a MMusic from the Conservatorio Nacional in Buenos Aires in 1960 and a Conducting Diploma from the Institute Superior del Tatro Colon in Buenos Aires in 1964.
Professor Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky was a distinguished member of the UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty from 1968-2003.
The Author of this essay, was an instrumental performance
Essay Author, Bob Amato UMASS-Amherst 1967-1972 practicing Selmer 4 piston valve piccolo trumpet outdoors in the fall of 1970.
major as well as instrumental music education major between 1967 and 1972. The Author of this essay never had any classes under the direction of Professor Olevsky. However, the Author of this Essay did develop a cordial relationship with Professor Olevsky through an equally cordial relationship that the Author had developed with Professor Olevsky’s late husband, Julian Olevsky. Julian Olevsky was also an esteemed member of the UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty as Violin Artist in Residence from 1968-1985.
While performing research on this essay in late 2018, the Author was shocked and deeply saddened to learn that Julian Olevsky had passed away in 1985. Professor Olevsky and her husband Julian had an extraordinarily close relationship that was both personal and professional. It is difficult to imagine how Professor Olevsky must have suffered through the untimely loss of her husband, virtuoso violinist, Julian Olevsky.
Professor Olevsky was the youngest member of the UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty and she had a very cheerful, outgoing personality and always greeted all students that she recognized with a friendly smile and a cordial ‘Hello’!
Professor Olevsky’s youthful, energetic appearance, charismatic personality and endless enthusiasm for all things related to the UMASS-Amherst Music Department made Professor Estela Olevsky a favorite amongst all Faculty and Students alike.
Julian and Estela Olevsky at UMASS-Amherst together in 1968
Professor Olevsky’s abilities as a classical, concert hall pianist were outstanding. The Author of this essay made it a point to attend all of Professor Olevsky’s solo music faculty recitals as well as joint recital performances with other UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty Members. Professor Olevsky’s other faculty recital performances including her accompanying her husband, Julian Olevsky on Violin. Professor Olevsky also performed admirably well with the Faculty Trio which included Julian Olevsky on Violin and Joel Krosnick on Cello with the Faculty Trio performances were particularly outstanding.
The Author of this essay became friendly with
Joel Krosnick rehearsing with the UMASS Faculty Trio with Julian Olevsky on Violin and Estela Olevsky on Piano on September 12th, 1968.
Professor Olevsky’s husband Julian in the late 1960’s. This Author’s father spoke fluent Polish and Julian’s mother from Julian’s younger days back in Berlin was also Polish. In the late 1960’s, the Author accompanied both of his parents to a Julian Olevsky faculty recital and after the recital, this Author introduced Julian Olevsky to the Author’s Mother who immediately began conversing with Julian in Polish. Julian was quite impressed by the Author’s Mother’s fluency with the Polish language and her knowledge regarding the Polish culture.
Additionally, both Professor Olevsky and her Husband, Julian attended most if not all of the Author’s student solo trumpet recitals and also brass ensemble student performances as well. The Author’s parents would attend many of the Author’s student performances and if Julian Olevsky was in attendance, the Author’s Mother and Julian would inevitably converse at length in Polish after this Author’s own student musical performances.
Also, around 1970, the Author of this essay was enrolled in an applied violin educational course that Julian Olevsky taught. And, either before or after many of these applied violin education classes it was not unusual for Julian Olevsky to ask this Author when the Author’s Mother would be visiting UMASS again.
Both Professor Olevsky and her Husband, Julian developed a fondness for this Author. On at least two occasions in the early 1970’s, this Author was invited to the Olevsky family home in Amherst, Massachusetts for dinner. And, Professor Estela Olevsky was every bit as fine as a cook as she was a concert pianist.
Professor Olevsky and her Husband, Julian made the Author completely at ease and the Author really enjoyed these gatherings.
Guaneri ‘-‘del Gesù’-Violin- 1741
After dinner, Julian Olevsky would show the Author Julian’s priceless violin collection. This violin collection included Julian’s personal favorite, the Emperor Guarnerius Del Gesu Violin from 1738, also see.. Wiki one of the better-known Guarnerius violins. That violin had been owned by one of Napoleon’s Military Assistants and that’s supposedly how it acquired its name, Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu. This Author did some research on violin maker, Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Gesù. Violin’s of a pedigree similar to Julian Olevsky’s Emperor Guarnerius Del Gesu from 1738 have sold from $10Million to $18Million between 2010 and 2018.
Julian Olevsky also showed the Author three other Violins that were also priceless. These violins included an Amati and two Stradivarius violins. The Author of this essay has often wondered over the past 50 years if Julian Olevsky was only joking regarding the ownership of the Amati and two Stradivarius violins. However, this Author is convinced that Julian’s ownership of the Amati was not a joke. And, it is quite probable that the ownership of the two Strads was not a joke either.
After each dinner engagement at the Olevsky family home, Julian would not just only show this Author the entire extraordinary violin collection, Julian would insist that this Author handle and carefully inspect each of these priceless instruments with this Author’s ‘bare’ hands. No acid free white gloves were used in handling these violins.
Even more astounding to this Author was Julian’s insistence that this Author actually try to play these violins. Julian would hand this Author a bow manufactured in antiquity that had to be worth 50 times more than either a Schilke or Bach Strad trumpet and insist that this Author ‘make music’.
This Author would protest and express great fear that this Author would damage these priceless violins. In spite of the Author’s fearful protests, Julian would insist that this Author try and ‘make music’. And, the only training that this Author ever had on violin was from Julian’s class on rudimentary applied educational oriented violin performance training. These very sorry, and worse than pathetic ‘make music’ efforts performed on Julian Olevsky’s priceless violin collection always led to a ‘mini’ private lesson that the grand master violin virtuoso, Julian Olevsky provided to this Author with much good natured humor.
After the embarrassingly failed efforts to ‘make music’ on Julian Olevsky’s priceless violin collection, this Author would then be treated to an approximate two hour private recital rehearsal performed by Julian on Violin and Estela on Piano. The chemistry that this pair had between them both personally and professionally was indeed remarkable. The Author of this essay will always cherish the memories of these astounding private rehearsals at the Olevsky family home in Amherst, Massachusetts.
One thing of particular interest to this Author is referenced in Estela Kersenbaum
Maurice Andre Holding a Selmer 4 Piston Valve Piccolo trumpet that he personally designed.
Olevsky’s Biography . See second paragraph: Professor Olevsky “collaborated in recitals with soloist, trumpet virtuoso Maurice André. In January 1969, the Author of this essay attended Maurice André’s Town Hall recital debut in New York City with his UMASS-Amherst trumpet instructor, Professor Walter “Wally” Chesnut. This Author idolized the trumpet performances of Maurice André and owned a large number of Maurice André’s superlative recordings as well as published arrangements of the Maurice André repertoire arranged for Piccolo trumpet and piano. Both Professor Olevsky and her husband Julian heard this Author perform quite a bit of this late 1960’s and early 1970’s vintage Maurice André solo trumpet repertoire at UMASS student recitals.
Professor Olevsky told this Author an interesting story about her encounter(s) with Maurice André that took place in Argentina in the early 1960’s. Professor Estela Olevsky was a piano accompanist for Maurice André when she was still quite young and certainly quite ‘easy on the eyes’. Professor Olevsky told this Author that Maurice André ‘hit on her‘ on multiple occasions. Professor Olevsky told this Author that she considered Maurice André to be a ‘real boor’, consumed too much alcohol after performances, and she could not stand to be around him.
This Author could relate to Professor Olevsky’s appraisal of the character of Maurice André. Although this Author never developed the trumpet playing skills anywhere close to what Maurice André developed, this Author had much experience being accused of ‘hitting on‘ young, attractive women and being accused of being a ‘real boor’ and sometimes much worse.
Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky with Jazz Pianist Billy Taylor circa 1998.
Professor Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky was an enormous asset to the UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty and UMASS in general was most fortunate to have Professor Olevsky as a faculty member from 1968-2003.
The Author of this essay will always remember his musical encounters with Estela Kersenbaum Olevsky as one of the highlights of this Author’s music education at UMASS-Amherst from 1967-1972.
Essay Author, Bob Amato in New Orleans in 2012 visiting his best and only friend, ‘Wanna Be’ Bandleader, “Square Bear” – a 165 lb. Female Tibetan Mastiff that was 5 years old.