Asher G. Zlotnik Scholarship
(est. 2003) The Zlotnik Scholarship was established in 2003 by Roslyn Zlotnik in memory of her husband, Asher G. Zlotnik, Ph.D., in tribute to his life-long love of music.
Dr. Zlotnik was born in Hartofrd, CT on March 12, 1915. He received his formative music training from Ralph Baldwin. His college education, though interrupted several time by illness and World War II was illustrious. He attended Eastman School of Muisc and the Curtis Institue of Music. He earned his Bachelors degree in 1955 followed in 1956 by a Masters from Yale University. At this point he had developed his own method for teaching sight singing, which so impressed Yale Professor of voice Benjamni DeLoach, that he incorporated it into his own teaching. He began his doctoral studies at Indiana University in 1959, then accepted a faculty position at Boston University from 1963-1967. He completed his dissertation in 1972 and was awarded his doctorate.
In addition to Boston University, Dr. Zlotnik taught on the faculties of the Hartford School of Music from 1947-1959 and the Manhattan School of Music from 1957-1959. He served as principal flutist of the Hartford Symphony under Jacques Gordon, renowned concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony and first violinist of the Gordon String Quartet, with whom he also studied score analysis and conducting during the Second World War.
Between the years of 1945-1950, Zlotnik traveled regularly to new York City to study the Schillinger Music Theory Technique with three of Joseph Schillinger's disciples. During this same period he began teaching privately among his students were many prominent musicians from the big band of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey and members of the four network orchestras: CBS, ABC, NBC, and WOR. Throughout the years, as his reputation as pedagogue grew, musicians sought him out as a teacher. His insight and knowledge of music was invaluable and his teaching methods opened the ears and minds of all who were willing to learn. He perfected a system of ear training and sight-singing and was co-author with James MacDonald on the textbook, Essentials of Music Theory and Ear Training used at Columbia College in Chicago. He continued his research and private teaching until his retirement in 1995.
The Asher Zlotnik Memorial Scholarship is awarded to students majoring in music, in good academic standing with demonstrated financial need.