DeLay, Dorothy (1917-2002)

US violinist and teacher of violin. She mentored some of the world's great violinists, including Itzhak Perlman and Nigel Kennedy. A longtime member of the faculty of the Juillard School in New York City, she was known for her flexible, easy-going approach and calm demeanor combined with a demanding practice schedule. The large number of her students who went on to become successful and renowned violinists made her a major influence in the classical music industry.

DeLay began teaching in 1947, inspired by her teacher Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School. During the 1970s she emerged as the first woman to be regarded as a master violin teacher. Her students included violinists Gil Shaham, Joseph Swenson, Peter Oundjian, Midori, and Sarah Chang. She served on the faculties of Sarah Lawrence College, Meadowmount School of Music, Aspen Music School, the University of Cincinnati, the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts, the New England Conservatory, and the Royal College of Music. She received the National Medal of Arts in 1994.

DeLay was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. She started playing the violin at the age of 4 and gave her first recital at her church at 5. She attended the Oberlin Conservatory, Ohio, for one year, before transferring to Michigan State University. She moved to New York in 1937 to attend the Juilliard School. She founded the Stuyvesant Trio 1939-42, and returned to Juilliard to continue her studies in 1946.