Braun, Edith Evans, 1887-1976.

Edith Evans Braun, 1887-1976, a pianist, was a close friend of Mary Louise Curtis Bok Zimbalist and with her became friend and patroness to composers such as Samuel Barber, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Deems Taylor.

From the description of Edith Evans Braun collection, 1916-1976. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122571042

Edith Evans Braun was born in Marysville, Ohio on August 7, 1887, and died November 7, 1976 in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, age 89. Her father, Dr. O. H. Evans, was an influential teacher and leader of the local musical community and supervised his daughter's musical education. Somewhat of a child musical prodigy, in her early teens Edith Evans became a regular piano accompanist for the Marysville Choral Union, impressing people in the field such as Evan Williams, Dr. Dufft, and Frank Ormsby.

Edith Evans graduated from Oberlin with a B.A. after four years of study, and continued study for one additional year to graduate in music (piano and organ). She then went to New York, entering the Von Ende School of Music where she soon became a faculty member. She also continued to be an accompanist on tours, notably with the contralto Ernestine Schumann-Heink.

On December 11, 1918, Edith Evans married John F. Braun, a Philadelphia businessman, art collector, and tenor vocalist who died in 1939. The couple performed a joint recital in the opening to the Foyer of the Academy of Music, renovated by Edward Bok. Edith Evans Braun was a close friend of Mary Louise Curtis Bok Zimbalist and with her became friend and semi-patroness to composers such as Samuel Barber, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Deems Taylor.

Edith Evans Braun continued to play piano professionally, such as being the pianist in a performance of the Beethoven Triple Concerto under Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1940. She was also director of the Mary Louise Curtis Bok Foundation from 1934 until 1972, and was an instructor of theory and composition at the Curtis Institute of Music from 1942 until 1969: the Institute awarded her an honorary doctorate in music in 1957. Edith Evans Braun was a founder of the Cosmopolitan Club and a life member of the Art Alliance.

From the guide to the Edith Evans Braun collection, 1916-1976, (The New York Public Library. Music Division.)