Violinist and Pedagogue Sally Thomas has Died, Aged 92

Thomas was on the faculty of The Juilliard School and the Meadowmount School of Music

Born in 1931 in Minot, North Dakota, Sally Thomas studied violin with Ivan Galamian and chamber music with Edouard Dethier, Josef Gingold, Hans Letz, and Louis Persinger.

As Galamian’s teaching assistant for many years, Thomas joined the faculty of Galamian’s Meadowmount School of Music in 1960, where she taught alongside Dorothy DeLay, Leonard Rose, and Josef Gingold. She also served as the Co-director and administrator of student life for many years, as well as Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Society for Strings.

Since 1961, she was a faculty member of the College and Pre-College Divisions at her alma mater, The Juilliard School, where her students included violinist James Ehnes.  

Her acclaimed students also include Stephanie Chase, Todd Phillips, Robert Schumitzky, Robert Canetti, and Kyung Wha Chung, among others. 

Thomas appeared as a soloist with numerous symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. and Canada, and won competitions including the National Federation of Music Clubs Northern Lights.

Having taught master classes around the country, she was also the author of editions of works for violin and sat on the board of directors for Society for Strings Inc. 

In 2018, the Meadowmount School of Music launched the Sally Thomas Recreation Center, and its Sally G. Thomas Fellowship was created in 2013 in her honor. 

Our condolences to Ms. Thomas’ family, friends, students, and colleagues.