A New Life at a New University
Under her doctor’s orders to refrain from touring as a performing pianist, Ruth Slenczynska needed a new way to continue sharing her passion for music with the world. In 1964, a call from SIUE’s then-chair of the music department, Lloyd Blakely, provided just the opportunity Slenczynska needed; he asked her to teach and perform at SIUE as an artist-in-residence, a position which she would accept and retain for 23 years (Gerard). Blakely had aspirations of creating a renowned music school, and who could be better than a world-renowned musician like Ruth Slenczynska to help him (Dickman & Slenczynska)? This partnership would prove a driving factor in the careers of both Blakely and Slenczynska, and it left a lasting impact on countless students along the way.
At the time of Ruth’s hire, SIUE was a young establishment that was still very much under development; in fact, the Edwardsville campus did not open until 1965, and even then, the only operational buildings on campus were Peck Hall and the Lovejoy Library (Kerber). In the meantime Ruth lived and worked in Alton, IL, where she got her first taste of small-town life (Dickman & Slenczynska).
Settling Down In A Small Town
During her time at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Ruth met her husband, James Kerr, who was an associate professor of government and public affairs. Slenczynska finally found a companion and went back to performing on a “starvation diet” which consists of less practice than other concert pianists. While reflecting on her early years, Ruth recalls marrying Dr. James Kerr in 1967 the most thrilling part of her life. They built a home together and it was a time when Ruth was not alone, she was able to share experiences with the love of her life. Kerr and Slenzynska were married until his death in 2001. Ruth met her husband at a dinner party where they talked and enjoyed each other’s company. With her busy life, it was hard for Kerr to get a hold of Ruth, so he went to a place where he knew she would be and that was at a hall with a concert piano practicing and asked her to dinner. Ruth and her husband enjoyed cooking together and that was a common date of theirs. They would decide from a cookbook what to make, go out and gather the ingredients, then return and start cooking while listening to music and talking.
Concert in China in 1985
In 1985 the SIUE Observer reported that Ruth had performed a concert in the People’s Republic of China on September 14th, 1985. While she was there she offered a week of special workshops for people to learn more about music. She also performed three separate concerts: “Twilight Concert I, Twilight Concert II, and Twilight Concert III). In each of her three concerts, she performed anywhere from 3-8 different ballads. Each ballade broadcasted her beautiful talents for creating and playing music. This is particularly interesting because she traveled and offered workshops around the world and later returned to SIUE in 2018, and gave another workshop here. She performed a recital that allowed her to display her new learnings about music overseas, and to teach students to play the piano.
An Honorary Degree
During her time at SIUE, while still touring around the world, Slenczynska continued teaching at the university for piano lessons. As her student class sizes grew, she continued teaching private lessons. After 24 years of working at the university, Ruth retired in 1988 from a full time position to part-time in order to allow more time for traveling for her concerts.
During this time, she continued performing publicly and teaching students at the university, and privately. In the year 2000, Slenczynska was nominated for and received an honorary doctorate of fine arts. James Klenke, an executive assistant to the Chancellor of SIUE at the time, explained that this award was given to someone who was significantly accomplished in fine arts and to honor the person’s accomplishments and contributions to the university itself.
When talking about receiving this award, Slenczynska discussed how even though she had previously won awards and another doctorate of fine arts (23 years prior), she would be able to relax and enjoy the moment for this one. She explained that the previous times she had won awards, she had to rush off to concerts or to other demanding commitments. This shows not only how dedicated she was to her career and to music, but also the impact she made on the music world as well as SIUE and other universities.
The Influence of an Insightful Teacher
A 2012 interview with Ruth Slenczynska by Aldemaro Romero gives us a glimpse into her thoughts on teaching (Romero). In her years at SIUE, Slenczynska says she had the privilege of working with countless students, many of whom went on to “win prizes with their music, to earn their living through their music” (Ibid.).
Slenczynska didn’t just develop successful musicians; she cultivated the character of her students through her own teaching philosophies. She believed in the importance of individuality and did her best to teach her students to follow their own paths, rather than following the paths set for them by other people, like she had done herself at a younger age.
When asked by Romero to touch on this subject, Slenczynska responded: “Well, every person is different. Every person’s ideas are different. I try to listen to the students’ ideas. I try to show them how to follow their particular ideas” (Ibid.). She emphasized that the role of a teacher is not to pride him/herself, but to serve those being taught. “And in this way I try to get each student to follow his own dream about what the music should say. Not my dream, because my dream belongs to me and his dreams should belong to him, and not have another person impose an idea” (Ibid.).
Slenczynka’s influence didn’t end with her own classroom, however. Some of her students went on to become professors themselves, teaching across the globe in Australia and Korea (Ibid.). While the scale of her influence cannot be considered truly global, Slenczynska undoubtedly had an impact on a shocking number of people. She’s successfully created a legacy not only with her legendary piano skills, but with her subtler philosophy of life.
An Impact Made
Ruth Slenzynska became a reputable musician during this time period. The hard work and dedication she put into performing and teaching students made her more known around the world. Ruth never let anything stop her determination to create an entertaining show for her audience. Slenczynska enforced the message to her students, “Create a memorable evening for your audience,” (Walter, 45). It did not matter what happened before the performance, this is the moment to shine. Ruth’s reputation and her experiences made her a renowned name and ultimately led to people from all over the world to come and study under her. For example, Ree Kim came to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville from Seoul, Korea, just to study under Ruth Slenczynska Kerr. (Walter, 47). Ruth settling down and working for SIUE is also a reason why she grew to become the artist that we know in this time period. A professional pianist settling down in a small town to work with students would surely make headlines.
Works Cited
Dickman, T. (2018, March 12). Ruth Slenczynska Biography. https://www.siue.edu/lovejoy-library/musiclistening/special_collections/title/slenczynska/slenczynska.shtml.
Dickman, T. & Slenczynska, R. (2022). Ruth Slenczynska: Her Musical Life at SIUE. Edwardsville Public Library Program. (5) Facebook Live |Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/edwardsvillelibrary/videos/507850970746280/.
Gerard, M. (2018, January 5). Slenczynska Returning to Perform at SIUE. The Intelligencer. https://www.theintelligencer.com/commentary/article/Slenczynska-returning-to-perform-at-SIUE-12476045.php.
Hagrman, M. (2000, December 7). Longtime Prof Gets Honorary Degree. SIUE Graduation 2000, 12, spark.siue.edu/alestle/327/
Kerber, S. (2007). SIUE 50th Anniversary Historical Timeline. SIUE Archives, Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, www.siue.edu/lovejoy-library/archives/timeline.shtml.
Pianopera. (2019, January 24). Ruth Slenczynska talks and plays two Rachmaninoff preludes (1963). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75XnR9iGoIo.
Romero, A. (2012). Ruth Slenczynska, The Pianist Who Took Her Future in Her Hands. City University of New York (CUNY) Academic Works, https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1372&context=bb_pubs.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. (2024). University Archives. Photographic Services Collection, Lovejoy Library.
Walter, T. (1975). Ruth Slenczynska Kerr a concert pianist in Illinois farmlands. Focus Magazine. 9. https://spark.siue.edu/focus/9
Whitted, J. (1985, September 10). Ruth Slenczynska to Tour China, Far East . https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/sie_observe/id/333/rec/2.