Powell, Maud

1868-

 

American violinist; born at Peru, Illinois. The family moved to Aurora, and there she had her first training under Mr. Fickensher; studied under William Lewis at Chicago and laid the foundation of an excellent style, developed later under Schradieck at Leipsic and Dancla in Paris. After playing in London, and touring England with Jose Sherrington, she became one of Professor Joachim's favorite pupils at the Hochschule in Berlin, and in 1885 made her debut at the Philharmonic Society, with Bruch's concerto in G minor. The same year she appeared for the first time in America at the concerts of the New York Philharmonic. She has toured this country under Thomas, Seidl, Damrosch, Gericke, Nikisch and others, and in 1892 visited Germany and Austria with the New York Arion Society. She played at the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, read an article on Woman and the Violin before the Women's Musical Congress, and appeared in the Symphony concerts. She organized a string-quartet in 1894; went abroad in 1898; performed at the Philharmonic and Saturday Popular concerts in London, and with Halle and Scottish Orchestras in other cities; visited Holland, Belgium, Germany, France, Austria, Russia and Denmark, and after a short tour through the United States returned to London in 1901. Early in 1906 she gave forty concerts in South Africa. During the fall of 1907 she appeared in New York, and also with the Thomas Orchestra in Chicago. She has introduced to America Saint-Saens' concerto in C minor; Arensky's violin concerto; Lalo's concerto in G major, and works of American composers, as well as Dvorak's violin concerto, played under his own direction at a New York Philharmonic concert. Miss Powell, or rather Mrs. H. Godfrey Turner (she was married in 1904), possesses a technique so fine, a style so broad, and such excellent powers of expression and interpretation that she is considered probably the greatest woman violinist of the world, as well as the best violinist of America. She is unaffected and calm in her playing, yet has spirit and personal charm which delight her hearers. Her home is at Mt. Vernon, New York.