Obituary of Cynthia S. Grant
Cynthia Smith Grant, a native Albanian, born July 25, 1929 to Alfred and Esther Smith, passed away peacefully at the Massry residence on the Sabbath, Saturday morning July 13, 2019.
The funeral was July 15th at the Beth Emeth Cemetery.
Cynthia was a known musician and admired music teacher in the Capital district. In 1946 she was awarded a Tanglewood scholarship through the Albany Symphony Orchestra. There she studied under Leonard Bernstein, and S. Koussevitsky. In later years she studied under Eleanor Bange a piano soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1960 to 1970 she was a flutist in the Albany Symphony Orchestra. During the summers of 1970 through 1972 she compiled flute programs for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
She received her BA in education in 1972 and her MBS in in Education in 1976.
She taught many students piano and flute in her home. From 1968 – 1985 she was the primary music teacher in the Albany Public School System. There she provided for the full-range of music education, conducting bands and orchestras in twelve elementary schools every year. In the years 1988 -1990 she was a member of the American Winds Concert Band which toured major European countries playing American music in town squares.
She was a beloved mother and grandmother. Mother of the late Glenn Miller, she is survived by her daughter Batya Hefter (Beth Miller), her son in law Rabbi Herzl Hefter and their children, Aviya, Moshe Ze’ev, Eliyahu Yehuda, Amichai, Aron Noam and Binyamin in Israel and her long-time companion Alfred Klein in Albany.
