The first line of an article in the Medford, Ore., paper of March 15, 1936 reads, “Appearing as a soloist…with the Medford (Oregon) Junior Symphony is Marcia Van Dyke, 13 year-old Grants Pass Violinist.”
Van Dyke’s music teacher had high hopes for her, but no one could have imagined how far her virtuosity would take her. Within 10 years she became the first woman violinist with the San Francisco Symphony and toured the United States with the orchestra.
LIFE Magazine, which liked to feature up-and-coming stars, ran Van Dyke’s photo on the cover on Jan. 19, 1948. Soon she was in Hollywood making “In the Good Old Summertime” with Judy Garland and Van Johnson. She made a couple more movies and some TV shows, then appeared on Broadway in “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” with Shirley Booth in 1951.
As Van Dyke’s acting career wound down, she continued playing violin into the 1970s for both the New York Philharmonic and the New York Opera companies.
Southern Oregon considered itself Van Dyke’s home, and she retired in 1990 in Ashland. There she actively supported classical music in the Rogue Valley until she died in 2002.
"Young Violinist to be Soloist in Junior Symphony." Medford Mail Tribune Mar. 1936: 9. "Online Obituaries." Mail Tribune, 20 Nov. 2002. Web. 14 Aug. 2014.
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Playbill Vault, 19 Apr. 1951. Web. 14 Aug. 2014
"Marcia Van Dyke: Her Violin and the Fickle Nature of Fame." LIFE. Time, Web. 14 Aug. 2014.
