Biography
Abram Chasins, born in New York City in 1903, built a multifaceted career as an American pianist and composer while also earning recognition as an author and as an innovator in radio broadcasting. His output exceeded one hundred compositions, the great majority written for piano, and his set of 24 Preludes continues to serve as staple material for students. Early schooling took place at the Ethical Culture schools in his native city, after which, as a teenager, he pursued supplementary musical studies at the Columbia University Extension School. Upon completing that program he entered the Juilliard School of Music, where Rubin Goldmark guided his work in composition and Ernest Hutcheson together with Bertha Tapper oversaw his piano training. Additional lessons followed at the Curtis Institute of Music under Jozef Hofmann.
On Hofmann’s recommendation Chasins joined the Curtis faculty in 1926. Recitals and classroom work gradually established his standing as a pianist, and in 1928 he completed the 24 Preludes. His first appearance as concerto soloist occurred the following year, when Ossip Gabrilowitsch led the Philadelphia Orchestra in the premiere of Piano Concerto No. 1. In 1931 Arturo Toscanini directed the first performances of Flirtation in a Chinese Garden and Parade. Chasins rejoined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1933, this time presenting Piano Concerto No. 2 under Leopold Stokowski. Around 1935 he resigned from Curtis to devote fuller attention to composition and performance, appearing with leading orchestras across the globe until 1946, when he redirected his energies toward radio.
His association with the New York Times–affiliated station WQXR had begun in 1941; after his appointment as music director he organized educational outreach initiatives with public schools and received a Peabody Award for broadcasting excellence. In the late 1950s he published the books Speaking of Pianists and The Van Cliburn Legend. He departed WQXR in 1965 yet sustained his activities as writer and composer. Appointed Musician-in-Residence at the University of Southern California in 1972, he also guided the student-run station KUSC toward a contemporary classical format. That same year he released Music at the Crossroads. Retirement came in 1977, followed by the 1978 biography of Leopold Stokowski. Chasins died in 1987 after a struggle with cancer.
On Hofmann’s recommendation Chasins joined the Curtis faculty in 1926. Recitals and classroom work gradually established his standing as a pianist, and in 1928 he completed the 24 Preludes. His first appearance as concerto soloist occurred the following year, when Ossip Gabrilowitsch led the Philadelphia Orchestra in the premiere of Piano Concerto No. 1. In 1931 Arturo Toscanini directed the first performances of Flirtation in a Chinese Garden and Parade. Chasins rejoined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1933, this time presenting Piano Concerto No. 2 under Leopold Stokowski. Around 1935 he resigned from Curtis to devote fuller attention to composition and performance, appearing with leading orchestras across the globe until 1946, when he redirected his energies toward radio.
His association with the New York Times–affiliated station WQXR had begun in 1941; after his appointment as music director he organized educational outreach initiatives with public schools and received a Peabody Award for broadcasting excellence. In the late 1950s he published the books Speaking of Pianists and The Van Cliburn Legend. He departed WQXR in 1965 yet sustained his activities as writer and composer. Appointed Musician-in-Residence at the University of Southern California in 1972, he also guided the student-run station KUSC toward a contemporary classical format. That same year he released Music at the Crossroads. Retirement came in 1977, followed by the 1978 biography of Leopold Stokowski. Chasins died in 1987 after a struggle with cancer.