CFK Blog: Maud Powell

“Maud Powell (1867–1920) learned violin fast. Like, prodigy fast! She started playing at seven in her hometown of Peru, Illinois. By thirteen, she was in Leipzig, Germany, studying violin with Henry Schradieck (yes, that Schradieck!) and Friedrich Hermann. A year later, she was at the Paris Conservatoire, where she studied with Charles Dancla (yep, that Dancla!) for six months. And then a year after that, Joseph Joachim – that guy who was friends with Brahms(!) – asked her if she wanted to finish her studies with him at the Berlin Hochschule. Powell said yes, and in 1885, Joachim conducted her in her debut, performing Beethoven’s D major and Bruch’s G minor violin concertos.”