גיזלה גרוס

Gisella Grosz (1875-1942), pianist, born in Simleu Silvaniei (Szilágysomlyó), Romania (then part of Austria-Hungary). She received her piano education at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest and made her debut in Budapest in 1897, after which she performed in Leipzig and Berlin in 1898 and 1899. By 1898, she had established her residence in Berlin, where she performed as a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1902, 1905, 1908, and 1909. On February 6, 1906, she made a recording for Welte-Mignon, making her one of the pioneering female pianists to record for that company. In 1911, she decided to conclude her career as a pianist and married Adolf Weissman (1873-1929), a renowned music critic from Berlin. After retiring from public performances, Grosz continued to impart piano lessons. Together with her spouse, they organized frequent chamber concerts throughout the 1920s until his passing in 1929. In January 1942, she was deported to Riga, Latvia, where she was murdered.