Obituary of Marianne M. Pashler

NISKAYUNA-Marianne Moreland Pashler, a prominent violinist, music teacher and promoter of classical music in the Albany-Schenectady area, died in Niskayuna on September 4, 2009 at the age of 89. Born in Canada, Mrs. Pashler was a graduate of the Royal Con-servatory of Music in Toronto and held the degree of L.R.S.M. from the Royal College of Music, London, England. As a young Canadian violinist, she won many awards at Canadian music festivals and appeared as a soloist with the Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec Symphony Orchestras. She performed on numerous occasions with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation during the 1940s and early 1950s. From the time she moved to Schenectady in 1955, Mrs. Pashler performed in many local classical music events in the Tri-City area. She was soloist and concert master of the Schenectady Symphony and gave many chamber music concerts and solo recitals in the area. She organized the well-loved annual Bach at Christmas concert series as well as the Traldy Quartet, and participated in the Northeast New York Philharmonia. She was also a well-known violin teacher, with former pupils working in and performing with major American and European symphony orchestras. Mrs. Pashler served on the board of the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, the Music Committee of the Friends of the Schenectady County Library, and the Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum. She was also a member of the music faculties of Union College, Emma Willard School, and Guelph University in Canada. Mrs. Pashler was the widow of Dr. Peter Edward Pashler, a physicist with General Electric Research Laboratories, and leaves behind three children, Dr. Josephine Pashler Briggs, a nephrologist and director of NCCAM at the National Institutes of Health, Peter L. J. Pashler, attorney and managing partner at Ahlers Law Firm in Des Moines, Iowa, and Dr. Hal Pashler, a professor of psychology and cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego; as well as a brother, John A. Moreland of Jupiter, Fla. She leaves a son-in-law, Dr. Jurgen Schnermann and two daughters-in-law, Patricia Pashler and Dr. Christine Harris. Also survived by four grandsons, Martin and Nikolaus Schnermann and Christopher and Bryce Pashler; as well as many devoted violin students. A memorial musical service will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Church at 1221 Wendell Avenue in Schenectady. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Marcella Sembrich Memorial Museum Association, P.O. Box 417, Bolton Landing, NY, 12814 http://thesembrich.org