When Edith Savitsky was a young girl in the Bronx, she showed enormous talent as a singer. Her family discouraged this path, believing a young Jewish girl had no future in classical music, and should work in an office, and then marry. In addition, Edith was afraid of singing in public, so she abandoned her nascent career, and married her husband, Abe, in 1945. Fifty-five years later, life-threatening heart and stomach problems left Edith weakened and depressed. Her doctors and Abe convinced her to go to group therapy. And Abe had a trick up his sleeve. He had saved an old recording of Edith?s singing, and convinced her to share it with her therapy group. For the first time in her life, Edith?s singing brought her pleasure, and it changed the tone of her group, giving hope and energy to the others as well. Her family made the old recording into a CD. Listening to the CD, and to this radio feature, which first appeared on Performance Today in 2000, gave Edith untold moments of happiness in her last months.

When Edith Savitsky was a young girl in the Bronx, she showed enormous talent as a singer. Her family discouraged this path, believing a young Jewish girl had no future in classical music, and should work in an office, and then marry. In addition, Edith was afraid of singing in public, so she abandoned her nascent career, and married her husband, Abe, in 1945. Fifty-five years later, life-threatening heart and stomach problems left Edith weakened and depressed. Her doctors and Abe convinced her to go to group therapy. And Abe had a trick up his sleeve. He had saved an old recording of Edith?s singing, and convinced her to share it with her therapy group. For the first time in her life, Edith?s singing brought her pleasure, and it changed the tone of her group, giving hope and energy to the others as well. Her family made the old recording into a CD. Listening to the CD, and to this radio feature, which first appeared on Performance Today in 2000, gave Edith untold moments of happiness in her last months.