Tosca Kramer

Who was Tosca Kramer?

Dr. Tosca Berger Kramer, was a New Zealand-born American violinist and violist. Kramer, along with her parents, was instrumental in bringing classical music performance and instruction to the state of Oklahoma.

Tosca Berger was the daughter of Kurt and Lucy Berger. Her father was an eminent conductor and her mother an Impressionist painter. As a youth Tosca studied violin with Willy Hess and Eugène Ysaÿe, earning a Diploma from the Royal Conservatory at Sondershausen in Thuringia, Germany. The young New Zealander quickly established herself as a solo concert artist. In the 1920s a U.S. tour by Berger, who was traveling with her parents, was suspended when Kurt Berger fell ill in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the time of his recuperation, Tulsa city leaders succeeded in persuading the Bergers to settle there. With the encouragement and cooperation of the enterprising Oklahomans, the Berger family established the Tulsa Philharmonic, the city's first symphony orchestra, and Tosca became a highly respected teacher of violin and viola, known for traveling statewide to give lessons. Among many noted musicians to come from her studio is Fredell Lack, one of the leading violin virtuosi and teachers of her generation.