Verdina Shlonsky (Kremenshug, Ukraine, 1905 – Tel-Aviv, 1990, immigrated in 1944), composer, pianist, essayist, and critic, was the only widely known woman composer of her generation. She wrote over 100 pieces, including symphonic works, a piano concerto, a cantata, chamber music, music for the theater, and many songs (Lieder and popular). Her orchestral works were performed decades after they were written. She also published many writings about music (comparable only to Stutschewsky and Boskovich of her generation), in Russian, German, English and Hebrew. She is also the sister of the Israeli author Avraham Shlonsky, who wrote lyrics that were often set to music by Verdina Shlonsky.
Verdina Shlonsky
Verdina Shlonsky
Composer, pianist, essayist, and critic
1905-1990
Recordings of Shlonsky's songs in Zemereshet (Hebrew website, to listen to the recordings scroll down the page until you see a list of titles with icons of speakrs on their left. Clicking the titles will bring you to a page with an audio player).
For additional biography, including details regarding the extensive Verdina Shlonsky archive at the National Library of Israel, click here.
Article by Ronit Seter, "Verdina Shlonsky, the First Lady of Israeli Music."