Margel Gluck (1887-1961)

She was born in Buffalo, New York, and showed early promise as a musician. In 1902, she enrolled at the Conservatoire of Music in Ithaca, New York, where she won a violin scholarship. Her principal in Ithaca advised her to continue her studies at the Prague Conservatory with the famous Otakar Sevcik. But, he was over-subscribed and her application was rejected until her old professor personally intervened and after hearing her play Sevcik accepted her a as a pupil, and she became one of the first violinists in his orchestra. It was said of her that, "besides being entrancingly pretty, (she) displays a power of execution not often found in women players even of the first rank." 

In 1908, after completing her studies in Prague, she attended a reception held by the U.S. Minister in Bucharest, Horace Knowles, where Queen Carmen Sylva was the guest of honor. Among some of the best young musicians in Europe, playing on her Guarneri violin, Margel stood out and shortly afterwards received a personal invitation from the Crown Princess Marie - to whom she was presented before her performance - to perform at the Palace of Cotroceni. Before leaving Romania, Margel was sent personal letters and photographs from both the Queen and the Princess. All the while accompanied by her mother, she continued her studies in St. Petersburg with Leopold Auer. During WWI, she did canteen service and camp recreation work in England. After the war, she went on to make a number of acclaimed American and European tours, including one where she was accompanist to the great operatic soprano Lusia Tetrazzini. She lived in Los Angeles.