Born: January 21, 1913 - Düsseldoef, Germany

The German harpsichordist, pianist and teacher, Hilda (born: Klestadt) Jonas, studied at the Hochschule für Music in Köln from 1932 to 1933. She received Honour Diploma from the Gumpert Conservatory in 1934. She studied with Professor Michael Wittels in Köln, Rudolf Serkin in Switzerland, and Wanda Landowska in Paris.

Hilda Jonas appeared as concert soloist and recitalist world-wide: colleges, universities, museums and art centres - Harvard, Carnegie-Mellon Cincinatti Tafi Museum, Haifa Music Museum, Milano Centro Culturale San Fedele, Empire Saal of Schloss Esterházy, Eisenstaat Brussels' Muséc Instrumental, Castello Buoncossiglio in Trento, Palais Wittengstein in Düsseldorf, Stanford University in California, Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco State University. She appeared as soloist with major symphony orchestras such as Cleveland Orchestra and Cincinnati. She gave regular series and many festivals under Max Rudolf and Joseph Krips. Honolulu, Oxford, Jerusalem, Stasbourg. She owened a private piano studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA from 1938 to 1942, and Cincinnatio, Ohio from 1942 to 1975. In 1965 she founded the Harpsichord Festival Put-in-Bay in Ohio and directed it from 1965 to 1975. She was considered as authority on J.S. Bach.

Recordings: Sanjo-Music, variations, Italian Concerto, Capriccio on the Departure of his Beloved Brother, Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue; Johann Kuhnau: Six Biblical Sonatas (1982); Record for children of all ages, Listen Rebecca, the Harpsichord Sounds (1977, etc. She was contributor to various Music Magazines. In 1938 she married Gerald Jonas; she had 2 daughters.

Source: International Who's Who in Music & International Directory (13^th Edition, 1992/93)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (February 2007)

Hilda Jonas: Hilda Jonas | Recordings of Non-Vocal Works

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