Morton Estrin


Morton Estrin was an American classical pianist. His career began in 1949 with a well-received recital at Town Hall. He studied with the teacher Vera Maurina-Press and others.
Estrin is known for making the first-ever recording of Alexander Scriabin's complete Twelve Etudes, Op. 8, which he re-recorded in 1991. Both recordings reflect the hallmarks of Estrin's style - a robust tone, formidable technique and an unusually large and sophisticated tonal palette.
Other notable recordings include a selection of Brahms intermezzos along with his Opus 119 piano pieces, and the complete Opus 32 Preludes of Sergei Rachmaninoff. These records, released in the early 1970s on the Connoisseur Society label, are among the best recordings of these works and continue to be available. Estrin's output for the Connoisseur Society are also available.
In 1985, Estrin played all 24 Rachmaninoff Preludes at Alice Tully Hall.
Estrin recorded several albums of miniatures entitled "Great Hits You Played When You Were Young." More recent recordings include a suite by Brahms contemporary Joachim Raff and Etudes by Anton Rubinstein.
Although Estrin actively performed throughout his career, he devoted most of his time to teaching. Estrin was a professor at Hofstra University and private teacher on Long Island, where he resided until his death. His students include John Mauceri, Billy Joel, Mo Fink and Deborah Gibson.