Raya Garbousova Papers

Raya Garbousova was born in September 25^th, 1909 in Tbilisi (Tifilis), the capital of Russian Georgia.  Her father taught at the Tbilisi Conservatory and performed as principal trumpet in the Tifilis Symphony. She began piano lessons at a young age, but chose to play the cello soon after instead despite her father's pleas to continue playing piano. Quickly becoming a cellist prodigy, Garbousova enrolled in the Tbilisi Conservatory from 1914 to 1923 and was in high demand as a chamber musician. She debuted in Moscow in 1923 and in 1925, she went to Leipzig to study with Julius Klengel. However, after hearing her play for three hours, he would not accept her as a student because there was nothing more he could teach her. She later studied with Pablo Casals and Diran Alexanian, who became Garbousova's mentor. She toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States. Garbousova met and married Dr. Kurt Biss of DeKalb, Illinois, a cardiologist who co-founded the DeKalb Clinic. She taught cello at the Hartt School of Music from 1970 to 1979 and was a professor of the cello at Northern Illinois University from 1979 to 1991. Ms. Garbousova knew many important composers of the 20th century and several works were commissioned and dedicated to her. Many such compositions are included in this collection. She passed away on January 28, 1997 in DeKalb, IL.