Sascha Gorodnitzki

1904 (Kyiv) — 1986 (New York City)

Sascha Gorodnitzki (born May 24, 1904, in Kyiv) was an American pianist and music teacher of Russian origin. He moved to the United States with his family as a child. His parents ran a private music school in Brooklyn.

He studied at the Institute of Musical Art with Percy Goetschius, Rubin Goldmark, and Henry Edward Krehbiel, then at the Juilliard School with Josef Lhévinne. In 1930, he won a competition for young musicians alongside cellist Olga Zundel and singer Flora Collins. The judges included Arthur Bodanzky, Rudolf Ganz, and Zygmunt Stojowski. Following the competition, he performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic.

Gorodnitzki taught at the Juilliard School until his death. His students included François-Joël Thiollier, Angela Cheng, André Laplante, Rögnvaldur Sigurjónsson, and Garrick Ohlsson.

His recordings included Johannes Brahms's Variations on a Theme by Paganini and Variations on a Theme by Handel, as well as several short piano pieces.

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