Powell, Maud (1867-1920) | University of Illinois Archives

Maud Powell (1867-1920) was an American violinist and performer with the Sousa Band. Born August 22, 1867 in Peru, Illinois to parents William Bramwell Powell and Wilhelmina Bengelstraeter Paul, Maud Powell grew up in Aurora, Illinois. Her mother was a gifted pianist and amateur composer and persuaded Powell to study piano and violin. At the age of nine, Powell began studying with William Lewis and Agnes Ingersoll. Sometime in the 1870s she was able to hear virtuosa Camilla Urso in Chicago. From 1881 to 1885, Powell and her mother traveled to Europe to take lessons with Henry Schradieck, Charles Dancla, and Joseph Joachim. Powell made her American debut with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra in 1885. In 1894, she formed the Maud Powell String Quartet. Between 1895 and 1912, she debuted 15 concertos, including Antonin Dvorak's violin concerto in New York.

Powell toured with the John Philip Sousa Band during his 1903 and 1905 European tours, appearing as a guest soloist. In 1904 she became the first instrumentalist to record for the Victor Talking Machine Company's Celebrity Artist series. In 1908 she founded the Maud Powell Trio. In 1919, Powell had a heart attack and collapsed onstage during a performance in St. Louis. She returned home to rest, determined to continue the tour. However, she died warming up for a concert in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on January 8, 1920.