“America’s Jewish Violin Sensation: The Life of Joyce Renée” by Steven Wasserman
Do you have a famous relative in your family? My family’s only claim to fame is that Miss America was my son’s nanny. Miss Kentucky, Heather Renee French, was crowned Miss America in 2000, and she worked for us while attending the University of Cincinnati in 1997. But, no one in our family was actually famous, unlike author Steven Wasserman, who had a famous aunt who grew up in Cincinnati. He writes about his Aunt Joyce in her biography, “America’s Jewish Violin Sensation: The Life of Joyce Renée.” Esther Joyce Wasserman, born in 1911, became an internationally acclaimed violinist who performed at the largest venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York City. She performed at Radio City Music Hall at Rockefeller Center in New York and was held over for eight straight weeks, which is a significant achievement for any artist. She adopted the stage name Joyce Renée. The author thinks she changed her name during World War II to protect herself from the rampant antisemitism. The book begins by documenting Esther’s parents’ journey from Eastern Europe to the US in the early 1900s. Her father, Max Wasserman, emigrated from Komenitz, a city in western Ukraine. I was familiar with the long history of antisemitism in Eastern Europe, but it was still shocking to read that, in 1447, Komenitz did not allow Jews to visit for more than three days. In the late 1500s, Jews were prohibited from even visiting Komenitz.
Esther’s mother, Anna Rabkin, emigrated from Belarus to Cincinnati around the same time as Esther’s father, Max, arrived. They met for the first time at a Kroger grocery store in Cincinnati. Max was checking out his groceries, and Anna was the cashier. Kroger opened their first store in Cincinnati in 1883. The author made me hungry when he described the Jewish-Ukrainian dishes that Esther’s family would have served back in Eastern Europe. Homemade gefilte fish was prepared using a whole fish that was stuffed with a mixture of white fish, pike, carp and vegetables. It sounded quite a bit different from what we get in the jar today. “Nalistniki” reminded me of my mom’s blintzes that we topped with sour cream. My grandparents came from a similar region in Belarus as Anna, so many of the dishes sparked memories from my childhood.
Esther’s career quickly rose to prominence, starting with her first public performance on Cincinnati’s WLW radio in 1920, when she was 9. She made her orchestral debut with the Cincinnati Symphony when she was only 13. Also at 13, she attended CCM (University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music). She received her diploma in violin at 17 and was the youngest honors graduate in the Conservatory’s history. At 18, she was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree. I wasn’t sure how she managed her time, because during the same years she dedicated herself to her music at CCM, she also attended Hughes High School, where she graduated when she was only 16! For those familiar with Hughes High School, it is located within walking distance of the University of Cincinnati, so at least it wasn’t far away. I can picture her walking across the street to CCM in the afternoons after high school dismissed for the day. We like to think that today’s kids are busy with all of their activities, but Joyce’s schedule as a teenager in the 1920s must have set a very high bar for achievement and drive. The author stated that “Esther was a rare talent with a bright musical future.”
Some of Joyce’s happiest times were in Paris, so it made sense to me that she chose the French name Renée. She spoke French and was mentored in Paris by world-famous Romanian composer, conductor and violinist George Enescu. Enescu praised his student when he wrote, “Her art is of the highest order, and her knowledge of the instrument is perfect. She has personality and great fire.” The author said, “In 1939, Joyce was awarded a Woolley International Fellowship to study abroad.” He continued, “The Parisian press lauded Joyce as America’s violin sensation.” Paris was also where she met the love of her life, but the interfaith relationship was frowned upon by her mother, leading to heartbreak. With her new French last name, Renée, Joyce kept her memories of Paris close to her.
The author does an incredible job documenting all of Joyce’s famous teachers in the world of classical music. Just to name one, she studied with Paul Kochanski while attending the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. Kochanski was a famous Polish violinist who became the concertmaster of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra when he was only 14.
In the middle of the book, we are treated to 100 pages of photos, news clippings, publicity posters, program covers, rave reviews and more. Included are glamour photos of Joyce that are reminiscent of those taken of movie stars from the 1930s and 1940s. I recommend going on a treasure hunt through these pages, taking the time to look for all the details. A photo of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman grabbed my attention. They were on the cover of one of Joyce’s programs from Radio City Music Hall. At the bottom of the same page, I noticed a small ad for an ice skating show presented by Sonja Henie and Arthur M. Wirtz. Henie was an ice skating legend, winning the ladies’ singles gold medal at three consecutive Olympics in 1928, 1932 and 1936. She became a movie star and also created her own popular ice show. I smiled when I saw that tickets for her ice show ranged from $1 to $2. The ad said, “Center Theater at Rockefeller Center – America’s Only Ice Theatre – Always Comfortably Cool.” I spotted an article from our very own American Israelite podcast, “Let There Be Light.” It summarized many of the highlights of Joyce Renée’s life, including that “She was chosen as the greatest living female violinist by Gordon Currie of the Australian Broadcasting System.”
I was mesmerized by several photos showing the Wasserman family around the Seder table each year. It must have been a family tradition to take a photo during Passover when everyone was together. The photos took on extra meaning for me because I happened to read the book during Passover, and our table was all set up for our large family Seder that would take place that evening, on the second night. The author, Steven Wasserman, appeared in a number of the family photos as a young child. He did an incredible amount of work gathering all the documents and photographs that spanned more than 100 years of history. They were beautifully scanned and reproduced for publication.
During and after World War II, Joyce was a popular attraction at U.S.O. camp shows, bases and veterans’ hospitals, performing in coast-to-coast tours. In the chapter “Playing for the Troops,” the author gave context to the picture of Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant that I found earlier. He wrote, “In 1946, Joyce played a concert for the armed forces at Radio City Music Hall. The last portion of the program featured the movie ‘Notorious’ starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.”
I don’t know why so many talented stars who shine brightly in their youth have to burn out so soon. Stars like George Gershwin, who performed in the 1920s and 1930s, passed away when he was only 38. During his short lifetime, he was able to write more than 500 songs and compose major pieces, like “An American in Paris” and “Rhapsody in Blue.” At the height of Joyce’s popularity, she had an accident that ended her career. She never fully recovered from a fall that left her unable to perform again. I hesitated to write about the accident in this review, since it could be a possible spoiler. But, I later discovered that it was mentioned on the inside flap of the book and in the book’s description on Amazon, so I decided to include it. You can read more details about what happened in the book. It’s an important part of her story, but almost the entire book focuses on showcasing Joyce’s extraordinary career and acclaim.
After the accident, she moved back to Cincinnati with her mother. She was still able to play the piano, and she wrote several songs. In the back of the book, the author included about 30 pages of Joyce’s handwritten sheet music of her original songs. When I finished the last page, I went directly to my piano in the living room, with book in hand. Our extra-long Seder table was set up next to me. It extended from our dining room into the living room next to the piano. I looked at all of the wine glasses and place settings. I couldn’t help but think of the Wasserman’s Seder photos as I started playing Joyce’s song, “When We’re Together.” I imagined she was remembering her one true love from Paris. The diminished chords instantly transported me back to a different time with a sense of nostalgia. It reminded me of songs such as “When You Wish Upon a Star,” the theme song from the old Walt Disney TV show, and “Smile,” written by Charlie Chaplin. I remember when Jerry Lewis always closed his Labor Day telethons by singing the song “Smile.” When I play these melodies, I feel the hope of the songwriter along with a touch of sadness and melancholy.
Steven Wasserman did a mitzvah by writing this book and keeping his aunt’s memory alive. After reading her story and playing her music, I will always remember Esther Joyce Wasserman, also known as Joyce Renée. Every Passover, when I see the Seder table, I will be reminded of the Wasserman family and famous Aunt Joyce.
