MIC mourns the loss of Gilda Barston

The Music Institute of Chicago is sad to report that longtime and much-loved cello faculty member Gilda Barston died June 25, 2016 after a long illness. She was 71 years old and lived in Evanston, Illinois.
 
About Gilda Barston
Barston, Dean Emeritus of the Music Institute of Chicago and cello faculty for both its Community Music School and Academy program for gifted pre-college musicians, began her tenure at the Music Institute in 1973. A student of Leonard Rose, she received her bachelor's and master's degrees from The Juilliard School of Music in New York before coming to Illinois. Barston was principal cellist of the Chicago String Ensemble from its founding until 1983 as well as a member of the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski, the Mu Phi Epsilon Trio, and the Lyric Trio. During her long career, she performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, and Japan.
 
Reflecting Barston's position as a master teacher, the Music Institute's Barston Suzuki Center, one of the largest and most highly regarded Suzuki Education centers in the country, bears her name. In 1998, Barston received a Distinguished Service Award from the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) for her work with the SAA Cello Committee. A Registered Teacher Trainer of Suzuki Cello Pedagogy, she had served on the faculty of the American Suzuki Institute (ASI) since 1976 and was the recipient of the ASI’s 2005 Suzuki Chair Award. She was artistic director of the Chicago Suzuki Institute, was CEO of the International Suzuki Association, and taught at many other Institutes and workshops throughout the United States and Canada, most recently as faculty of the National Cello Institute Advanced Cello Residency Program in Orange County, California. She was a faculty member and soloist at the International Suzuki Teachers’ Conference in Matsumoto, Japan and taught at the World Conference in Edmonton, Canada; the Pan-Pacific Suzuki Conference in Adelaide, Australia; the Melbourne Autumn Festival; and Korean Suzuki Association Winter Camps. In 2006, she was an honored guest and faculty member at the 14th Suzuki Method World Convention in Turin, Italy. In May 2010, she and her daughter, Amy, were guest master class clinicians at the Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference in Minneapolis. They presented at the same conference in 2016, when the SAA announced the establishment of the Gilda Barston Legacy Scholarship Fund.
 
In 2015, the American String Teachers Association, Illinois Chapter honored Barston as “Outstanding Studio Teacher” for the state of Illinois. Also that year, the Music Institute presented her with its Richard D. Colburn Award for Teaching Excellence. In addition to teaching at the Music Institute, she served on the faculties of Northwestern University and DePaul University and on the board of directors of the Chicago Cello Society.
 
Music Institute President and CEO Dr. Mark George commented, “Gilda meant so much to so many people, it is difficult to express the impact of her parting. In more than 40 years of teaching at the Music Institute, she was a friend, mentor, leader, and advocate for the highest standards in music education. Gilda was a celebrated teacher of teachers, training and mentoring hundreds of young cellists who have spread about the world to become leaders in their field.”
 
Music Institute Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs Emily Abraham added, “Most of all, Gilda was a teacher who loved her students and their families, challenging them to be the best they could be, nurturing them to become good musicians and good people. Her example was a constant source of inspiration for all who knew her. She will be terribly missed.”

A memorial service was held at Nichols Concert Hall on Sunday, July 3, 2016.  Later that evening, a celebration of Gilda's life with music was held at the Chicago Suzuki Institute's opening concert.

In lieu of flowers, the Barston family requests that you consider making a donation to one of these causes that were close to Gilda’s heart and reflect her profound impact on the world.

The Barston Suzuki Center to support Suzuki Teacher Training and continuing education for the Suzuki faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago.

Checks may be written to the Barston Suzuki Center and mailed to Music Institute of Chicago, 1702 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201 or:

Due to the commitment and leadership of Gilda Barston, the Music Institute of Chicago has one of the largest, most comprehensive, and highly regarded Suzuki programs in the country. The Barston Suzuki Center is a model program for engaging teachers and musicians in the Suzuki method and provides long-term teacher training and educational seminars, scholarship for teachers and continuing education support for MIC faculty. Through the Music Institute of Chicago’s Suzuki Education division, trained Suzuki faculty provide the highest quality private and group class instruction.  Suzuki instruction is available for piano, violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, guitar, harp and recorder.  The internationally recognized Suzuki method is based on the philosophy of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki that talent and musicianship can be developed in any child.  Numerous class and solo performance opportunities are offered throughout the year.

The Gilda Barston Cello Scholarship for cellists studying at the Music Institute of Chicago.

Checks may be written to the Music Institute of Chicago and mailed to Music Institute of Chicago, 1702 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201 or:

The Gilda Barston Legacy Scholarship Fund established by the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) to support Suzuki teacher education in the Americas. Checks may be written to SAA and mailed to SAA, PO Box 17310, Boulder, CO 80308. For online donations, please go to https://suzukiassociation.org/giving/donate/ and select Gilda Barston Legacy Scholarship Fund.