Leroy ostransky biography

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His talents were quickly recognized and he was hired as an assistant in music theory from 1946 to 1948. In all, he composed five symphonies. In 1975 he was named one of the nation’s 12 outstanding teachers by People magazine. Ostransky's memoir details his difficult relationship with his father, who could be both physically and emotionally manipulative and even abusive.

After leaving home at seventeen, Ostransky worked as a pianist in a jazz club before getting his Doctorate in musical arts at the State University of Iowa in 1959.

He was credited with bringing jazz into higher education. His books on jazz were: "Understanding Jazz," "The Anatomy of Jazz" and "Jazz City."

In 1990, Mr. Ostransky published an autobiographical memoir, "Sharkey's Kid." The book documented the first 13 years of his life in New York. Ostransky described his father, Sharkey, as “the only Jew with a knife scar on his jaw, a tattoo on his left forearm, and tears in his eyes every time he heard a cantor chant the Kol Nidre on his Victrola.” Sharkey loved music and had aspirations for his son to become a child prodigy and virtuoso violinist.

Upon acceptance of the proclamation, Ostransky commented, "I don't deserve it, but I'll take it."

An authority on jazz, he published five books on the subject. The Tacoma Arts Commission honored Mr. Ostransky in September 1992 with an Excellence in the Arts Award.

In 1981 and 1983, family members said, Mr. Ostransky suffered debilitating strokes that forced his retirement from UPS.

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In his memoir, Sharkey’s Kid, he recounted his difficult childhood growing up on the lower East Side. When his "Symphony No. 4: American" was debuted by the Seattle Symphony on Oct. 23, 1975, Gov. Dan Evans declared "Leroy Ostransky Day" in Washington.

Mr. Ostransky also wrote scores of instructional pieces for classrooms.

In 1975, Ostransky was named one of the twelve greatest teachers in America by People magazine.

As an author about the history of Jazz, Ostransky has written multiple books on the subject. Additionally, Ostransky was the professor emeritus of music and composer-in-residence at the University of Puget Sound.

In addition he authored a Sunday column "Notes and Comments" for The News Tribune for 23 years and hosted a radio show "Oh, Oh Ostransky” in which he accompanied himself on the piano while commenting on current events and telling jokes. The Tacoma Arts Commission presented Ostransky with its 1982 Excellence in the Arts Award for his outstanding contributions to the arts in the city of Tacoma.

Ostransky was working on a book about Charles Mingus when he died in 1993, after a long illness.

By Lori Ricigliano, revised 11.2016