Vida Chenoweth

Who is Vida Chenoweth?

Vida Chenoweth was the first professional solo classical marimbist, an ethnomusicologist and a linguist.

Credited with being the first to perform polyphonic music on the marimba and for doing for the marimba what Pablo Casals did for the cello and Andrés Segovia did for the guitar, she made her solo debut in Chicago in 1956, followed by a successful recital in New York. She subsequently gave concerts all over the world.

She is the only concert marimbist who has appeared as guest soloist in Carnegie Hall with a major orchestra besides Ruth Stuber.

She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1985 and in 1994 into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.