Robin Abraham
1923 - 2022
Robin Abraham, a retired musician and music teacher, passed away in San Antonio on July 10, 2022. He was 99.
Robin was born in New York City on May 5, 1923, the son of Herbert and Dorothy (Jacoby) Abraham.
He grew up in Manhattan and enjoyed spending summers with his family in Spring Lake, New Jersey. Following his graduation from the Horace Mann School in New York, Robin studied physics at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, in an accelerated training program for World War II servicemen.
After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1944, Robin served in the United States Navy in the Pacific Fleet aboard the minesweeper-tender USS Picket. He was one of the first to observe the site in Hiroshima, Japan, where the atomic bomb had been dropped by Allied forces, and was aboard ship in Tokyo Bay during the ceremony marking the official surrender by Japanese forces. Robin was a supply officer on the Picket, and was later its interim captain as it returned to the States to be decommissioned. He was selected by the Navy Department to write a brief official history of the ship.
From childhood Robin was a serious and highly talented musician. Following his military service, he won admission to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied cello with Leonard Rose and Lieff Rosanoff. Robin would also develop professional-level proficiency on violin, double bass, and piano.
At Juilliard, Robin met Peggy Tisinger, a piano student from Houston, and the two were married in Houston on June 18, 1949. They returned to New York to continue their schooling.
Robin earned a position in the Gershwin Orchestra, which originated in New York and toured throughout the U.S. and Canada. While in New Orleans, Louisiana, he auditioned successfully for a position in the San Antonio Symphony, which he held from 1954 to 1957. He also played with a piano trio at the St. Anthony Hotel. Robin took private cello lessons with Paul Olefsky in Austin and violin lessons with Alfio Pignotti in San Antonio; he subsequently played violin in the Austin Symphony for several years. Robin played numerous recitals on cello with his wife, Peggy, collaborating as pianist.
Very soon after moving to San Antonio, Robin and Peggy started teaching music, first in the San Antonio Independent School District, and privately as well. Their first studio was the Highland Park Music Studio on the south side of San Antonio. In 1973 they moved, and their new location was subsequently known as Northside School of Music. The Abrahams established the Music Foundation of San Antonio, which has provided funds to hundreds of needy students. They both taught until well into their 90s. Both were active members of the San Antonio Music Teachers Association, and each served in many capacities, including as president; Robin's term was from 1967 to 1969.
They were honored for their years of excellence in teaching by both SAMTA and by Musical Bridges Around the World and earned the gratitude of countless former students, some of whom have gone on to professional careers in music. Robin also sold string-instrument supplies and sheet music and offered instrument repairs through his business, Northside Music. Additionally, he and Peggy established the R&P Land Company, through which they bought and sold real estate and contracted building construction and maintenance.
Robin was preceded in death by his brother, George Abraham, and by two sisters, Amy Robinson and Jane Bowie.
He is survived by Peggy, his wife of 73 years; by his daughter, April Abraham Brahinsky, and her husband, Eric, of San Antonio; by his son, Robin Abraham, Jr., of San Antonio, and his partner, Alissa Podber of Austin; and by numerous nieces and nephews.
Donations in Robin's memory may be made to MOSAS Performance Fund (Musicians of the San Antonio Symphony), Musical Bridges Around the World, or the charity of one's choice.
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Peggy Abraham
1924- 2022
Peggy Abraham, a beloved San Antonio music educator, passed away on September 22, 2022, in San Antonio. She was 98.
Peggy Joyce Tisinger was born January 25, 1924, in Houston, the youngest of four daughters of Joseph Roland Tisinger and Anna Elizabeth "Bessie" Meador Tisinger.
She attended Houston public schools and was known to be somewhat of a tomboy, with a fondness for climbing trees and roller skating. Peggy began piano lessons at an early age - first with her mother and her sister Louise, then later as a scholarship student with Mozart Hammond at the Houston Conservatory of Music. Following her graduation from Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston, she continued her musical studies at the Houston Conservatory and also attended classes at the University of Houston.
After World War II ended, Peggy gained acceptance to the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York City. At Juilliard she met Robin Abraham, a Manhattan-born cellist. After the couple married in Houston on June 18, 1949, they returned to New York, where they continued their studies and performed and taught music.
After Robin won a position in the San Antonio Symphony in 1954, the couple moved to South Texas, which would be their home for the remainder of their lives. Robin and Peggy performed frequently, sometimes with other musicians but often playing recitals together on cello and piano.
In her 50s, Peggy went back to school as a graduate student in the piano program at Trinity University in San Antonio, where she earned a master's degree under the tutelage of Karl Leifheit .
The Abrahams became widely known as music teachers. They established a large and respected studio on the south side of San Antonio, which after relocating in 1973 would eventually become the Northside School of Music. Many of Peggy's piano students have gone on to notable professional careers as performers and music educators. Peggy and Robin established the Music Foundation of San Antonio, which provided financial assistance to countless students and also has given generous donations to support and sustain a number of San Antonio performing arts organizations. Over the years, Peggy was the organist for several Christian Science churches in San Antonio, both in a regular and substitute capacity. At the time of her passing she was a member of Third Church of Christ, Scientist, San Antonio. She was a longtime member of the Tuesday Musical Club, and for a number of years, along with her piano partner Marie Chapman, participated in that organization's duo-piano programs. For over 50 years, she was an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, Texas Music Teachers Association, and San Antonio Music Teachers Association. She served as president of SAMTA from 1981 to 1983. She was also for many years an active member in the National Guild of Piano Teachers and served for a time as the local Guild chair.
Peggy was known for her kindness, patience, joy, warmth, and humor. She loved to write poems for any occasion. Her family, friends, and students all knew that she loved them.
Peggy's husband, Robin, passed away in July 2022. They had been married for 73 years. Peggy was also preceded in death by her three sisters, Louise Smith, Mazo Durrenberger, and Betty Wolfe. She is survived by her daughter, April Abraham Brahinsky, and her husband, Eric, of San Antonio; by her son, Robin Abraham, Jr., of San Antonio, and his partner, Alissa Podber of Austin; and by numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces.
The family is thankful for the caregivers who assisted Peggy over the past months and wishes to express special gratitude to Melissa de la Peña, Erica Goodrum, and Brittany Sewell.
Contributions in Peggy's memory may be made to the San Antonio Philharmonic, Musical Bridges Around the World, or the charity of one's choice.
A musical memorial tribute in honor of Peggy and Robin Abraham will be held on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. at the Tuesday Musical Club, 3755 N. St. Mary's Street, San Antonio, Texas.
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