JAVS Spring 2007

''STEPPING IN THE G G EAN'' VVITH MARTHA STRONGIN KATZ

By Karen Ritscher

It is pouring rain as Martha Srrongin Katz and I jump into a taxi !Tom her Back Bay, Boston apartment ro rake my viola to the luthier, Ken Meyer in Newton, Massachuserrs. Ms. Katz has just finished a full day of reaching and coaching at the New England Conservatory ofMusic and has still kindly offered to accompany me ro have Mr. Meyer work his magic on my viola and serve as "ears" for the final sound adjust ment. I feel fortunate to have been one ofMs. Katz's fust students in the late 1970s and feel equally fortunate to be her friend today. Martha, as she is called by most of her students, is an inspiring mix ofyouthful innocence, occasional silliness, reassuring warmth and ageless insight. he is the daughter ofa psychologist and an artist and the sister of Lynn Srrongin, the poet. She was raised on the Upper Wesr Side in New York Ciry and studied violin with Raphael Bronstein and Ivan Galamian. She remembers a vital childhood that was rich in exposure to all forms ofart and interesting people. While a student at Manhattan School, she played viola in the Debussy Quartet for chamber music class, and reali.zed that her musical voice was more attuned to the viola. She began her viola studies with Lillian Fuchs and then later worked with Wtlliam Primrose. She won the top prize in the Geneva International Competition, as well the Max Reger Award. Martha and Paul Katz formed the Cleveland Quartet with colleagues Don Weilerstein and Peter Salaff. Martha was a member of the Cleveland Quarter for twelve years, playing over a thousand concertS with them. With the CQshe appeared at the White House, played on NBC's The Today Show, was nominated for six Grammy Awards, and was the first classical group ever ro play on the Grammy Award's show. During the time Martha was the violist of the quarter they recorded rwenry-six works, including Schubert's Death and the Maiden Quarter, the complete Beethoven Quartets, and the

Martha Strongin Katz. Photo by £/ana !Vttz.

Brahms Quartets (the last ofwhich has become a cult classic among viola aficionados). When I spoke recently to Paul Katz about Martha, he said, "Listening to the early recordings of the Cleveland Quartet will give you a sense ofMartha's amazing presence and charisma...She was our driving force, our star, our inspiration. We aU played better because of her!" After she left the quartet, she remained a dedicated teacher at the Eastman School ofMusic and then the Shepherd School of Rice University, and performed widely in many different venues. In recent years

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