Fifty-five years ago, on March 14, 1965, 11-year-old pianist Juliana Osinchuk earned the praise of The New York Times, with its four-column caption “Pianist, 11, is summoned to the rescue of a concert.”
The article, dated March15, continued: “A surprise debut was made by 11-year-old Juliana Osinchuk yesterday afternoon when she was called to the stage during the Fontenbleau Alumni Association Concert at Carnegie Hall Recital Hall to substitute for her teacher, Jean Casadesus, the pianist, who was indisposed. Juliana was as surprised as anyone. But she turned in a fine performance of Beethoven’s Sonata [No. 5] in C minor (Op. 10, No. 1).”
The Times also noted Ms. Osinchuk’s Ukrainian heritage and how she studied at the Fontenbleau School of Music in France the previous summer with Nadia Boulanger and Mr. Casadesus. Having studied piano since the age of four, she spent the previous five years studying with Louise Talma. The upcoming summer, Ms. Osinchuk was to study at the Fontenbleau School of Music with Ms. Boulanger and a master class with Arthur Rubenstein. In the fall, she planned to continue her studies at the Paris Conservatory of Music as well as privately with Ms. Boulanger.
Ms. Osinchuk’s performance at Carnegie Hall was also broadcast on March 15 on WQXR on several programs. She was in sixth grade at the time at St. George Ukrainian Catholic School (now Saint George Academy) in New York.
This year, on March 15, Ms. Osinchuk was to perform a concert at The Ukrainian Museum in New York that was sponsored by the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America. The event was canceled due to the coronavirus.
Source: “Juliana Osinchuk, 11-year-old pianist, to the rescue,” The Ukrainian Weekly, March 20, 1965.