ruth slenczynska

Ruth Slenczynska, Child Prodigy Who Played for Rachmaninov, Dies at 99

Ruth Slenczynska, a renowned child piano prodigy who performed for Sergei Rachmaninov at age 8 in Paris, has died at 99. Born in 1925, she was practicing nine hours daily by age 5 under her father's strict guidance. She later became artist-in-residence and faculty member at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, authored the textbook Music at Your Fingertips, and married political science professor Dr. James Kerr until his death in 2000.