In Memoriam - Isidor Saslav

The Theatre Forum remembers with great fondness Isidor Saslav who died on January 26th. A violinist with a remarkable international career, Isidor (who played in the Festival Hill orchestra and coached young players here in Round Top) made a special contribution to the Theatre Forum in 2005 when we took as our focus the work of George Bernard Shaw. Isidor shared works from his enormous Shaw collection—over 8,000 items including a vast library of books, photographs, programs, posters and all things Shavian. Isidor’s enthusiasm and good spirits were unflagging. Our enthusiasm rose as we heard him talk about his love of Shaw. We are grateful for his participation in the Theatre Forum and will not soon forget him and his lovely wife Ann.


Mar. 18, 1938-Jan. 26, 2013

OVERTON — Overton resident and noted symphony concertmaster, concert violinist, musicologist and Haydn scholar, Dr. Isidor Saslav died in the Tyler East Texas Medical Center on January 26, 2013. Born in Jerusalem, Palestine, in 1938, Saslav came to the U.S. as a child, where he studied violin under Detroit Symphony concertmaster Mischa Mishakoff, and became one of the youngest members of the Detroit Symphony at age 17. Saslav graduated from Wayne State University and received a doctorate in Music from Indiana University.

During his long and distinguished career, Dr. Saslav served as the concertmaster of numerous orchestras including the Buffalo Philharmonic, Minnesota Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, the Dallas Opera, Kennedy Center (Terrace Theater) Opera, the Baltimore Opera and Indiana University Opera orchestras. In Texas, he recently retired as the longtime concertmaster of the Longview Symphony Orchestra under conductor Tonu Kalam and also served as concertmaster of the Beaumont Symphony Orchestra. For more than 30 years, along with his wife, concert pianist Ann HeiligmanSaslav, Dr. Saslav concertized in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand and performed classical music programs in schools throughout the country for more than two million students through their non-profit organization, Adventures with the Arts.

Dr. Saslav also taught at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, the Eastman School of Music and the State University of New York at Buffalo. He established, and for more than a decade headed, the strings program at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. A lifetime devotee of playwright George Bernard Shaw, Dr. Saslav established a library in Overton dedicated to his extensive Shaw collection and memorabilia from his and his wife's remarkable musical careers. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Ann Heiligman Saslav; son, David Saslav; daughter, Leanora Saslav; and daughter-in-law, Melissa Smith, all of San Francisco, California.