Obituaries
Zoya Fuchs
To keep everyone safe and healthy, there will be a public service at a later date.
Zoya Fuchs, beloved mother of Ilya Levinson, mother-in-law of Martine Benmann, grandmother of Gregory and Alexander Levinson passed away on December 28, 2020. Zoya was born on July 2, 1929 in Moscow, Russia. Music was her life. She started her musical career as a violinist wunderkind. After the Second World War Zoya went to the Gnesin Musical College in Moscow to study composition with the famous Russian composer Michail Gnesin. Zoya worked in a local music school teaching music theory and piano. She composed chamber music and songs on the words of contemporary Soviet poets such as Iosif Albirt. After immigrating to the US in 1988 Zoya continued to compose and perform new art songs based on the words of famous Russian poets: Pushkin, Lermontov, Akhmatova, and Tsvetaeva. In Chicago, she was sharing her musical talent with Russian and American audiences. For many years she was a volunteer member of The National Pastime Theatre. Her compositions were featured in many Pastime Theatre performances. She played piano for the theatre’s patrons before each show. Zoya performed countless concerts of her music in many Chicagoland temples and in other concert venues including the Russian Community center. A lover of all kinds of music Zoya enjoyed attending concerts at the Symphony Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and many of Chicago’s jazz clubs. In regard to her interest in writing, Zoya was writing reviews of the concerts she attended as well as short stories for her two grandsons. She loved to travel; she visited many countries; she was especially happy to visit Norway, the birthplace of composer Edward Grieg, whose music she adored. Zoya was a musical inspiration for her family and took pride in fostering the musical talent of her son, daughter-in-law, and her grandchildren. She will be missed by her close and extended family, friends, and fellow artists. To keep everyone safe and healthy, there will be a public service at a later date. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com
