Nelly Berman, 77, music instructor

Nelly Berman, 77, of Bryn Mawr, a pianist from the Soviet Union who created a classical music school in Haverford, died Monday, Aug. 31, following heart surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Berman came to America from Odessa 39 years ago, carrying musical scores and a few belongings in three cardboard suitcases. Her dream was to teach music to talented children here.

In Odessa, she had been subject to the Ministry of Culture's choice of musical scores for her students. When she balked, they issued reprimands.

Once in this country, though, things changed. From a three-story Victorian house at 461 W. Lancaster Ave., Mrs. Berman realized her dream - the Nelly Berman School of Music.

Using her magnetism, she urged students to develop their talent through study and practice. Many have become polished performers, appearing at the Kimmel Center with the Philadelphia Orchestra and in other places.

"She had the most incredible gift for turning children into musicians through her passion for teaching, the joy she found and shared in music, and, most of all, her constant faith in every single student who walked through her doors. The things I learned in her music school have shaped every aspect of my life," said Anna Claire Lynn-Palevsky, a former student.

Despite having a stroke in 2011, Mrs. Berman continued teaching and molding young students. Four days before her death, she applauded them at a concert at the school. She taught a student the day before surgery, and en route to the hospital was making plans for others.

The qualities she saw in students and wanted to develop were "great beauty of sound, tenderness, passion, and an ability to touch all hearts through music," said daughter Elena Berman-Gantard, the school's ongoing director. "She inspired them to reach beyond and above their comfort level."

Mrs. Berman also realized her vision for a nonprofit, the NBS Classical Music Institute, which has awarded students many music scholarships since its inception in 1996. If a student's family could not afford the lessons that were needed to achieve proficiency, the nonprofit stepped in, with the help of benefactor Elaine Kligerman, an established pianist in her own right.

As a result, the school grew significantly, its reputation spreading beyond the Philadelphia area to New York and even California, Berman-Gantard said.

Over the years, Mrs. Berman attracted talented music teachers from different countries. Together, they readied students for the frequent concerts the school staged.

Mrs. Berman was perhaps most tender in marking the short life of Chanlan Lee, a gifted 8-year-old violin student from Villanova who died late in 2008 of viral encephalitis.

With violins tucked under chins, Mrs. Berman's students took the stage at a special recital in the Haverford School auditorium in January 2009. But after a few minutes, each walked offstage, leaving the piece unfinished.

"This is to show our support for Chanlan, who was just beginning and did not finish his life," Mrs. Berman told The Inquirer. "It is a good deed for all people to remember this beautiful child that doesn't exist anymore."

Besides her daughter, she is survived by husband David Lefkovitz; son Dmitry; three grandchildren; and a niece.

A visitation from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, is to be followed by an 11 a.m. funeral service at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks, 6410 N. Broad St. Burial is in Mount Sharon Cemetery, Springfield.

Donations may be made to NBS Classical Music Institute, 461 W. Lancaster Ave., Haverford, Pa. 19041.