Margarita Mandelstamm Explained

Margarita Mandelstamm
Other Names:	Margarita Selinsky
Birth Date:	June 1, 1895
Birth Place:	Riga, Russian Empire
Death Date:	February 11, 1962
Death Place:	Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation:	Violinist, music educator
Spouse(S):	Max Selinsky
Relatives:	Elsa Gidoni (sister)

Margarita Mandelstamm (June 1, 1895^[1] – February 11, 1962), in Russian Маргари́та Фа́йвушевна (Па́вловна) Мандельшта́м, later known as Margarita Selinsky, was a violinist born in Riga, and based in the United States after 1921.

Early life

Margarita Mandelstamm was born in Riga (then in the Russian Empire),^[2] the daughter of Faivush (Pavel) Mandelstamm and Minna Mandelstamm. Her family was Jewish. Her father was a medical doctor in the Russian Army. Her younger sister was architect Elsa Gidoni.^{[3] [4]} Mandelstamm trained as a violinist in Berlin with Willy Hess, and at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory with Leopold Auer.^[5]

Career

Mandelstamm made her concert debut in Saint Petersburg in 1915. In 1917, during World War I, she and her family were held for several weeks in a German refugee camp in Ukraine, briefly returned to Riga, then moved to Berlin. She played with the Berlin Philharmonic, and in recitals there.^[6] In 1921, she moved to the United States with her American husband, Max Selinsky, a fellow musician. The Selinskys gave their first American recital at New York's Aeolian Hall,^{[7] [8]} and toured North America playing rarely-heard violin duets through the 1920s and 1930s.^{[9] [10] [11]} In 1940 they performed with their pianist daughter in 1940 as the Selinsky Trio.^[12]

Personal life

Mandelstamm married American violinist Max Selinsky in 1920. They had a son, Victor, who became an artist and art teacher,^[13] and a daughter, Xenia, who became a pianist^[14] and performed with her parents from an early age.^{[15] [16]} Margarita Selinsky died in 1962, in Los Angeles, aged 66 years.^[17]

Notes and References

1. Birthdate given on a United States passport application in 1922. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Roll #: 1847; Volume #: Roll 1847 - Certificates: 123976-124349, 06 Mar 1922-07 Mar 1922. via Ancestry. Other sources give 1896 or 1897 as the year.
2. September 15, 1921. Selinskys Attract Attention. Musical Courier. 83. 19.
3. Web site: Pioneering Women of American Architecture: Elsa Mandelstamm Gidoni. 2021-04-25. Pioneering Women of American Architecture. en-US.
4. Web site: Architects in Palestine: 1920-1948. 2021-04-25. Jewish Women's Archive. en.
5. Watson. Margaret W.. November 1921. Fate in the Lives of Two Artists. The Musical Monitor. 11. 45.
6. News: 1939-10-17. Violinists Offer Friday Ebell Program. 6. The Pomona Progress Bulletin. 2021-04-25. Newspapers.com.
7. April 2, 1921. Will Give Violin Duet Recital. Musical America. 34. 47.
8. April 9, 1921. Selinskys Play Novelties. Musical America. 34. 4.
9. June 1921. Metropolitan Musings. The Musical Monitor. 10. 435.
10. May 7, 1921. Selinskys to Play Under Mayer Management. Musical America. 34. 40.
11. News: 1937-08-27. Unusual Concert at Bowl Tonight. 15. The San Bernardino County Sun. 2021-04-25. Newspapers.com.
12. News: 1940-08-07. Selinsky Trip Gives Recital. 13. The San Bernardino County Sun. 2021-04-25. Newspapers.com.
13. News: Green. Martin. 1996-12-05. World of Art Helps Keep Couple Active, in Step. 100. The Sacramento Bee. 2021-04-25. Newspapers.com.
14. News: 1946-03-08. Xenia Selinsky to Present Concert for Woman's Club. 4. Ventura County Star-Free Press. 2021-04-25. Newspapers.com.
15. News: 1939-11-01. First Membership Luncheon and Musicale Today. 10. The San Bernardino County Sun. 2021-04-25. Newspapers.com.
16. News: 1939-11-02. Rare Music Completes the Perfect Day. 10. The San Bernardino County Sun. 2021-04-25. Newspapers.com.
17. News: 1962-02-13. Margarita Selinsky, funeral announcement. 23. The Los Angeles Times. 2021-04-25. Newspapers.com.