Evening star., 1962-01-12
CelIist
Bocki in
7 triumph
BY AMELIA YOUNG
Star Staff Writer

Mloo 1OUy OdkS' 1903 VIII
ner of the Friday Morning
Music Club Foundation Ma
tional Additions for Strings,
came down from New York to
give a special concert for
members of the club and
their guests.
The concert took place in the
John Wesley Powell Audito-
rum of the Cosmos Club,
lasted about an hour and in
cluded Sonatas by Boccherini,
Beethoven and Kodaly.
Miss Saks arrived in Wash
ington last night with pianist
Stephen Names. a fellow STU
dent at the Juilliard School
of Music and her accompanist
this morning. Before set
ting down to rehearse for
several hours, she reported on
what's been happening to her
the last two years.
The National Additions
award was her first first prize.
(She had previously won
third prize in a Marjorie Mer-
riwea t her PoSt-SponSored
competition, at the tender
age of 15.)
Toby has since entered 10
other musical contests, ma
tional and international. She
has taken first prize in every
one of them. The latest was
the Third Pablo CasalS In
ternational Violoncello Com
petition held in Israel last
October.
Town Hall Debut
She has performed twice
with the National Symphony
Orchestra under Howard
Mitchell, has made her debut
at Town Hall, and now gives
from 20 to 80 concerts a
year. Next year she'll make
at least six solo appearances
with major European orches-
tras, as a result of her vic
tory at the Casals competi-
tion.
All Of which goes to say
that Toby apparently is on
her way to the top.
A pretty, dark-haired girl
with unpretentious manners,
she seems more the whole
some coed tn a n the "tem-
peramental" artist.
She is the daughter Of a
pattern-maker for women's
dresses and is the first
musician in her family, al
though she says, my brother
16 years old is a rock m
roll guitariSt." She's a ma
tive New Yorker.
Toby finds this a pretty
good world for aspiring musi-
clans, with plenty of govern
ment and private support
available.
She thinks competitions
have their unfortunate" side
Its hard when you're
competing against very good
friends" Gas she has at times)
and som times S the top
finalists are just about equal.
Both really deserve the same
recognition"
Who wins, she said. may
depend on some minor differ
ence-the mood of the per-
former on a particular day,
the mood of the judges, a
touch of stage fright.
The Only Way
But she accepts competi-
tions as a fact of life.
There's no other way to get
the support, the concerts and
the recognition" she said.
And I've been very lucky"
While discussing musical
opportunities in the United
States compared to those in
other countries, Toby recalled
with amusement a radio in
terview in Israel.
She and the second-prize
winner, a Swiss girl, were
interviewed together. The re-
porter first asked her, What
advice do you get from con-
cert managers?" Toby re-
piled, They say, Go to Eu-
rope, make a big name for
yourself and then come
home" When he asked the
Swiss girl the same question
about European concert man.
ayers, she laughed and said,
They tell me to go to Amer
lea, make big name for my
self and then come back to
Europe.
Toby has been studying
seriously" under cellist Leo
nard Rose since she was IA.
She took lessons for several
years before that "just as a
hobby" but was still a begin
ner when she Joined Mr.. Rose
and since "he'S taught me
everything I know" he's es-
pecially pleased with her sue
cess, she said.
The overnight fame that
sometimes comes to young
artists at International COM
petitions is "the perfect
thing" Toby said, "IF the
artist is ready for G. concert
career. Otherwise it may
keep him from getting a
broader SCOPE"
How ready is she for the
concert career, if fame should
strike? That's a scary