Sheldon Shkolnik was born on the west side of Chicago, and later took part in the mass Jewish migration to West Rogers Park in the early1950’s.  A gifted pianist, Sheldon studied with Rudolph Ganz at the Chicago Musical College and later with Rosina Lhevinne at the Juilliard School of Music, where he earned a master’s degree.  Sheldon made his Chicago Symphony debut at the age of 19 in 1957.  He eventually moved to New York.  His highly successful New York debut took place in 1966 before a capacity audience at Avery Fisher Hall.  Sheldon performed extensively with symphonies all over the world, including Mexico, South America, and Europe.  One of his career highlights was his performance of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody on Blue” as part of a 1979 Independence Day concert at Grant Park, which drew a crowd of 350,00 people.  Later in his career, Sheldon became involved in the film industry as a composer and musical consultant.  His credits include the movies “Tell Me a Riddle” and “Altered States.”  He also composed music for several highly successful national television ad campaigns.

Family was very important to Sheldon.  Although he was based in New York, he made frequent trips to Chicago for Jewish holidays, family simchas, or simply to visit.  Unfortunately, Sheldon passed away at the young age of 52.  His family misses his warmth, his wit, and his extraordinary talent to this day.