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Virginia Eskin

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Virginia Eskin
Born
Virginia Rubottom

(1940-11-13) November 13, 1940 (age 85)
New York City, New York, United States
InstrumentPiano
LabelNortheastern Records
Formerly ofBoston Symphony Orchestra
Spouse
Jules Eskin (m. 1967)
Websitevirginiaeskin.com

Virginia Eskin (née Rubottom, born November 13, 1940) is an American pianist, writer and record label founder. She is most known for performing the works of female composers, particularly Amy Beach.[1]

Biography

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Virginia Rubottom was born on November 13, 1940, in New York City, United States.[2][3] She studied piano in Los Angeles, California, with Aube Tzerko;[4] in London, England, with Gina Bachauer, Myra Hess and Ilona Kabos; then in Boston, Massachusetts, with Leonard Shure.[3][5]

Eskin married cellist Jules Eskin in 1967[1][6] and they moved to South End, Boston, Massachusetts, when he joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in 1964.[7] Eskin signed to Columbia Artists in 1977[1] and moved to New Hampshire in the 1980s.[8]

Eskin founded Northeastern Records.[3] Her recordings include performances of works by female American and European composers including Mary Jeanne van Appledorn, Grażyna Bacewicz, Marion Bauer, Amy Beach, Cécile Chaminade, Rebecca Clarke, Vítezslava Kaprálová, Fanny Mendelssohn, Florence Price, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Adaline Shepherd, Maria Szymanowska, Louise Talma and Germaine Tailleferre.[3][5][9][10] She has also recorded works by two Jewish musicians who were incarcerated in the Theresienstadt Ghetto by the Nazis in World War II, Gideon Klein and Viktor Ulmann, with the Hawthorne Quartet.[11][12]

Eskin has given lectures at colleges and universities in America, including the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston University, Brandeis University, Harvard University and Northeastern University.[13] She has studied and given talks on Black American composers, such as Margaret Bonds, Zenobia Powell Perry, Florence Price and Mary Lou Williams.[13]

Eskin has contributed articles to The Boston Musical Intelligencer[14] and has performed on radio progams.[15] She was the co-producer, with John Gfoerer, of the teleivision documentary Composer: Amy Beach, which was broadcast on PBS.[16]

Eskin was honored by a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lotus Club of New York.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Goodfellow, William S. (1989-11-26). "PIANO MUSIC OF AMY BEACH FINDS A STRONG ADVOCATE IN VIRGINA [sic] ESKIN". Deseret News. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  2. ^ Laurence, Anya (2015-05-28), "Eskin, Virginia", Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2282801, retrieved 2026-04-21
  3. ^ a b c d Masters, Richard (2023-09-30). Encyclopedia of American Classical Pianists: 1800s to the Present. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 102–103. ISBN 979-8-216-25432-4.
  4. ^ Pan Pipes of Sigma Alpha Iota. Vol. 71. George Banta Company. 1979. p. 7.
  5. ^ a b Belanger, Olivia (2020-07-30). "Virginia Eskin: Performing Arts". The Keene Sentinel. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  6. ^ Allen, David (2016-11-17). "Jules Eskin, Cellist With Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  7. ^ Shannon, Hope J. (2014). Legendary Locals of Boston's South End. Arcadia Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4671-0112-7.
  8. ^ a b Handy, Nicholas (2018-08-07). "Forum focuses on artists who spent time in region". Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  9. ^ Cohn, Arthur (1981). Recorded Classical Music: A Critical Guide to Compositions and Performances. Schirmer Books. ISBN 978-0-02-870640-5.
  10. ^ Alarik, Scott (2003). Deep Community: Adventures in the Modern Folk Underground. Black Wolf Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-9720270-1-4.
  11. ^ "Guest Artist: Virginia Eskin, Piano". www.keene.edu. 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  12. ^ Gramophone (2000). Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide 2001. Gramophone. p. 506. ISBN 978-0-86024-982-5.
  13. ^ a b "Virginia Eskin". African-American Music in World Culture. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  14. ^ "Virginia Eskin, Author at The Boston Musical Intelligencer". The Boston Musical Intelligencer. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  15. ^ Virginia Eskin with 'A Note to You': Women in the orchestra. 2024-12-10. Retrieved 2026-04-21 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Timmons, Jesseca (2024-09-12). "Pianist Virginia Eskin to present 'The Musical Willa Cather' Sept. 14 at Bass Hall". Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
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