Julia Bal de Zuniga

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Julia Bal de Zuniga
A white woman with curly hair.
Julia Bal de Zuniga, from a 1933 publication.
Born1892
Ghent, Belgium
Died1964
California
Occupation(s)Pianist, music educator

Julia Bal de Zuniga (1892 – 1964) was a Belgian-born concert pianist and music educator in Los Angeles.

Early life[edit]

Julia H. Bal was born in Ghent, Belgium, the daughter of musicians Herman J. Bal and Josephine Marie Bal.[1][2] Her father was head of the piano department at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, and later headed the music department at Baylor College for Women, now the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, from 1902 to 1908.[3][4]

She studied piano with Arthur De Greef in Brussels, Élie-Miriam Delaborde in Paris, and Emil Sauer in Berlin. She also studied with Isidor Philipp and Gabriel Fauré.[1] At age 16 she played a two-piano concerto with Camille Saint-Saëns.[5]

Career[edit]

Julia Bal de Zuniga was a concert pianist based on the Pacific Coast of the United States.[5] In 1911, she performed at the Franz Liszt centennial celebration in Mexico City. She toured in South America in 1917 and 1918. In 1928 she was featured in summer concerts at the University of California, Los Angeles.[6]

Zuniga co-chaired the piano department at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music,[1] which would later be merged into California Institute of the Arts after her death.[7] During her tenure at LACM, one of her students was American pianist and composer Marty Paich.[8]

Personal life[edit]

Julia Bal married Mexican-born Miguel A. Zuniga (also known by Michel or Michael), who worked at the Belgian consulate in Los Angeles.[9] They had two children, Yvonne and Miguel Jr.[10] She died in 1964, in her early seventies; her grave is in Glendale. There is a Julia Bal de Zuniga Scholarship Fund at the California Institute of the Arts.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "It's Time to Listen". Independent Star-News. 1958-12-14. p. 120. Retrieved 2020-06-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Josephine Marie Bal (obituary)". The Los Angeles Times. 1946-10-29. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-06-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Utley, Dan K.; Beeman, Cynthia J. (2013-01-11). History along the Way: Stories beyond the Texas Roadside Markers. Texas A&M University Press. pp. 322, note 19. ISBN 978-1-60344-769-0.
  4. ^ "A Conservatory of Music Here". San Antonio Express. 1908-09-20. p. 31. Retrieved 2020-06-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Who's who in music and dance in Southern California. University of California Libraries. Hollywood : Bureau of Musical Research. 1933. p. 185.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ^ "L.A. Summer Session Concerts Scheduled". La Habra Star. July 11, 1928. p. 2. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  7. ^ "Prize-Winning Pianist in VC Recital Tomorrow". San Bernardino Sun. March 19, 1966. p. 22. Retrieved June 28, 2020 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  8. ^ "Paich, Weston Team for 'Bells' Show". Santa Ynez Valley News. 1989-09-07. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-06-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Zuniga, Michel A. (June 1928). "To Follow Lindbergh's Trail". Popular Aviation: 31.
  10. ^ Yvonne Zuniga Johnson obituary, Orange County Register (June 19, 2010).
  11. ^ "Students of Piano Honored". La Habra Star. October 5, 1964. p. A-4. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.

External links[edit]