Sidney Foster

Sidney Foster (May 23, 1917 — February 7, 1977), born Sidney Earl Finkelstein, was an American virtuoso pianist and teacher. He studied with Isabelle Vengerova and David Saperton at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and in 1940 became the first winner of the Edgar M. Leventritt Award. He concertized over four decades in the United States and performed in Europe, the Soviet Union, Israel and Japan. He was Professor of Piano at Indiana University from 1952-1977. He was described as "a virtuoso and a great interpreter of great music," and affirmed as "everything the connoisseurs claim he is: an interesting, original pianist, the master of tonal shading and an artist."