Josie Pujol
Josie Pujol (born around 1900) was a Cuban violinist who performed in Cuba, Canada, and the United States as a young woman.
Early life
Josephine "Josie" Pujol played violin from youth. She finished her studies at the Conservatorio Peyrellade in Havana in 1916,[1] with further studies in New York.[2] Her sisters Clotilde and Teresa were also musicians.[3][4]
Career
Josephine Pujol played violin as a church accompanist in Asbury Park, New Jersey, in 1918.[5] She played violin solos at concerts in Asbury Park in 1919.[6][7] In 1920 Pujol earned good reviews in Havana[8] for her recitals with soprano Marguerite Ringo.[9] The following season, she played a charity benefit concert in Montreal,[10] with tenor Merlin Davies[11] and soprano Edith de Lys,[12] in Burlington, Vermont,[13] and Glen Ridge, New Jersey.[14] "The young Cuban violinist has a warm singing tone, the worth of which is enhanced by much technical proficiency and by that blending of emotional force and self-restraint which distinguishes the true artist," commented one reporter in 1920.[13]
She toured the American South in spring 1921, making her way back to Cuba.[15] In 1922, she was back in New York, playing at the annual benefit for the Blind Men's Improvement Club at Aeolian Hall.[16][17]
References
- León Primelles, Crónica cubana 1915-1918 (Talleres Tipográficos de Editorial Lex 1955): 212.
- "Josie Pujol to Tour South and Cuba" Musical America (March 26, 1921): 42.
- "Central Baptist Church Concert" Musical Courier (December 4, 1919): 28.
- Ocean Grove Auditorium Children's Day Program, Asbury Park Press (July 19, 1919); 4. via Newspapers.com
- "Spring Lake" Asbury Park Press (August 24, 1918): 6. via Newspapers.com
- "Tabernacle Concert" Asbury Park Press (August 13, 1919): 2. via Newspapers.com
- "Community Sing Concert" Asbury Park Press (August 20, 1919): 2. via Newspapers.com
- "Fiddle Strings" The Violinist (August 1920): 66.
- "Cuba Pays Tribute to Marguerite Ringo" Musical Courier (July 22, 1920): 39.
- "Pleasant Concert" The Gazette (November 3, 1920): 5. via Newspapers.com
- "Pujol Success at Montreal" Musical Courier (November 25, 1920): 43.
- "High Praise for Josie Pujol" Musical Courier (December 9, 1920): 54.
- "Recital by Miss Josie Pujol" Burlington Free Press (November 4, 1920): 6. via Newspapers.com
- "A Few of Josie Pujol's Engagements" Musical Courier (November 18, 1920): 51.
- "Canada and U. S. Hear Josie Pujol, Cuban Violinist" Musical America (May 28, 1921): 37.
- "Blind Men's Improvement Club" Music Leader (March 23, 1922): 275.
- "Children's Concerts End" New York Times (March 26, 1922): 32. via Newspapers.com