[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 143 (Tuesday, August 11, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF LEON FLEISHER

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                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 11, 2020

  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague, 
Congressman Adam Schiff, to honor a musical virtuoso, whose nearly 80-
year-long career was marked by extraordinary triumphs, profound 
struggles and inspiring perseverance: the incomparable Leon Fleisher.
  Born in San Francisco in 1928 to Jewish immigrant parents, Leon's 
life embodied the American Dream. At the age of four, he began 
listening to his brother's piano lessons before sneaking in afterwards 
to play everything he had heard by ear. It soon became clear that young 
Leon Fleisher was a piano prodigy. At age eight, he gave his first 
recital. At nine, he began training with the world-famous pianist Artur 
Schnabel. By sixteen, Fleisher was making his debut at Carnegie Hall. 
At 23, Fleisher became the first American to win the Queen Elisabeth 
Piano Competition in Brussels and at 25, he released his first studio 
album.
  Leon Fleisher's career was meteoric, vaulting him to the top of the 
classical music world and making him a sought-after soloist for some of 
the world's most prestigious orchestras. Music critics of the time 
described Fleisher as ``transcendent,'' and that he had ``this kind of 
Apollonian perfection . . . When you hear something that he's playing, 
you think that is the way it needs to be played.''
  But Fleisher's true greatness became clear when, at the age of 36, he 
received the catastrophic diagnosis of Focal Dystonia, which lost him 
the use of his right hand. While he faced many years of failed 
treatments and depression, he never lost hope. Instead, he found 
strength in the healing power of music. Harnessing his extraordinary 
talents, he continued the work he loved, becoming a master of the left 
hand repertoire; passing on his knowledge and expertise to younger 
generations of musicians as a teacher at The Peabody Institute in 
Baltimore, Maryland; and forming the acclaimed Theater Chamber Players, 
now based at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He also served as 
Artistic Director of the Tanglewood Music Center, Resident Conductor of 
the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Annapolis 
Symphony Orchestra.
  In 1995, more than three decades after his initial diagnosis, 
Fleisher found a course of treatment that allowed him to slowly regain 
use of his right hand that had eluded him for so long. In reflecting on 
his years of struggle, Fleisher noted, ``There are forces out there, 
and if you keep yourself open to them, if you go along with them, there 
are wondrous surprises.''
  Fleisher received many awards and accolades over the years, including 
being named a Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters by the 
Minister of Culture of the French government and a 2007 Kennedy Center 
Honor--fitting tributes to a remarkable career.
  Fleisher's musical brilliance and visionary career strengthened and 
enriched the artistic fabric of our nation. He leaves a profound legacy 
for his countless students who follow in his footsteps and for the 
millions of music lovers around the world who he moved, inspired and 
entertained.
  May it be a comfort to his wife, Katherine, his children, Deborah, 
Leah, Richard, Paula and Julian, and the entire Fleisher family that so 
many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

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