Never Too Old!

There are many misunderstandings around age and musical instruments. Ruth Slenczynska, who turned ninety-seven just a few days ago, is a wonderful example of what’s possible. She has just re-signed with Decca Classics, sixty years after she first recorded for the label!

In March she will release a new album, My Life in Music. She described the news as: “Unbelievable! Whoever heard of a pianist my age making another album? Music is meant to bring joy. If mine still brings joy to people, then it is doing what it is supposed to do.”

Ruth was born in America in 1925, to Polish immigrant parents. She gave her debut concert aged four (just as the Great Depression was getting underway), performed on television at the age of five and made her European concert debut at the age of six!

She is the last living pupil of the great Russian pianist-composer Sergei Rachmaninov, and to this day wears a Fabergé egg necklace that he gave her. An extraordinary woman, who I hope will inspire you as you embark on your own musical adventures in 2022.

Simon