Nelita True

Nelita True (1936–2021) was a pianist and teacher associated with the Eastman School of Music; Eastman’s portrait of her describes her career, and her obituary records her death in 2021. Her work as a teacher places her in the twentieth-century branch behind Jody Graves.

Nelita’s three recorded teachers are Nadia Boulanger, Sascha Gorodnitzki, and Leon Fleisher. Those teachers represent three distinct routes into Nelita’s formation, while her teaching continues forward to Jody and then to Rebecca Hardy.

Nelita’s page therefore connects a documented musical life with the personal chain at the heart of this lineage. The pages for Nadia, Sascha, and Leon open the three routes behind her; Jody’s page shows how Nelita’s teaching enters Becky’s immediate background.