BLOOD, Esta Damesek

Esta Damesek Blood is an American composer, pianist, and piano teacher who was born in The Bronx, New York, on March 25, 1933. She completed her musical training at the Manhattan School of Music. In 1953, she married the prolific sculptor Robert Blood, with whom she spent several years in Manhattan's Lower East Side designing unique wood and metal jewelry. The couple relocated to Schenectady, New York, in 1955, where she built a long career teaching piano.
She began her journey as a composer in 1966, developing a portfolio focused primarily on solo instrumental pieces, chamber music, and choral works. A significant hallmark of her composition style is the integration of traditional folk music from diverse global cultures. Among her notable published works is the Balkan Suite, a level-10 piano pedagogical collection consisting of four movements—"Macedonian Rhythm," "Krk," "Syrtos Polyphonikos," and "Bulgar"—which heavily utilizes the intricate, uneven "aksak" rhythms characteristic of Balkan folk music. Her other well-known pieces include Five Armenian Folksongs, written for soprano, guitar, and a choice of flute or clarinet, which premiered in Albany in 1978 and continues to be performed across the United States.