Manya Botez

Who was Manya Botez?

Manya Botez was a Romanian pianist and children's music teacher.

Manya Botez was born Mania Goldman, of Jewish parents, in Berlin. She was the second wife of Romanian writer Eugeniu Botez, whom he married after his first wife, born Marioara Dumitrescu, died in 1913. They had a daughter, Ada Botez, in 1918. In 1926 the marriage ended in divorce, with Ada remaining in the custody of her father. Manya then married General Gheorghe Argeşanu, becoming Manya Botez Argeşanu, but kept her professional name Manya Botez.

She founded the Manya Botez Music School in Bucharest before World War II, where in 1939 amongst her young pupils was the Romanian composer Aurel Stroe. Later she taught at the Paris Conservatoire and in London.

Botez was still actively teaching when she died in Richmond, London.