Leona Walton Neblett

Leona Walton Neblett
Neblett, from a 1925 publication
Born
Leona Walton

(1896-03-29)March 29, 1896
Silver City, New Mexico, U.S.
DiedApril 13, 1965(1965-04-13) (aged 69)
Redondo Beach, California, U.S.
OccupationsViolinist, music teacher
FatherWilliam B. Walton
RelativesEda Lou Walton (sister)
Carol Neblett (granddaughter)

Leona Walton Neblett (March 29, 1896 – April 13, 1965) was an American violinist and music teacher based in Los Angeles, active as a performer in the 1920s and 1930s.

Early life and education

Walton was born in Silver City, New Mexico,[1][2] the daughter of William B. Walton and Leoline Ashenfelter Walton.[3] Her father was a lawyer and a state legislator. Her sister Eda Lou Walton was a poet and college professor. Walton graduated from Westlake School for Girls, and attended the University of California, Berkeley and the New Mexico State Teachers' College,[1] with further studies under musicians George Enescu, Louis Persinger, Mishel Piastro, and Sam Franko.[3][4]

Career

Neblett headed the Leona Neblett Trio in Los Angeles.[5] She played violin for radio broadcasts,[6] club meetings,[7] private parties, schools,[8][9] and concert halls, especially in the 1920s and 1930s,[10] but continuing into the 1950s.[11][12] She gave a recital at the Guild Theatre in New York City in 1928.[13] In 1929 she played a violin concerto by Henryk Wieniawski with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, on her Gennaro Gagliano violin made in 1745.[14]

She was head of her own violin school with branches in Los Angeles[15] and in Hermosa Beach,[1][16] and taught at her alma mater, Westlake School for Girls.[3] She was on the board of the Los Angeles County Music Teachers' Association.[17]

Personal life

Walton married attorney William H. Neblett. They had a son, and divorced in 1928, but continued in legal conflict over child custody and support as late as 1936.[18][19] She died in 1965, at the age of 69, at her home in Redondo Beach.[20] Opera vocalist Carol Neblett was one of her grandchildren.[21][22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Who's who in Los Angeles County. C. J. Lang. 1929. p. 325.
  2. ↑ "Leona Walton Neblett (death notice)". The Los Angeles Times. 1965-04-20. p. 26. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Hunt, Rockwell Dennis (1930). California and Californians. Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 324–325.
  4. ↑ "Leona Neblet Now on Academy's Staff". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1935-02-02. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Los Angeles: Leona Neblett Trio". Musical West and Northwest Musician. 2: 34. October 1925.
  6. ↑ "What's On the Air". Monrovia News-Post. 1934-04-10. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "MacDowell Club and M.T.A. Meeting". Pacific Coast Musician. 11 (6): 24. June 1922.
  8. ↑ "Neblett Trio Makes Indian Stoicism Flee". Albuquerque Journal. 1925-12-10. p. 6. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.om.
  9. ↑ "At 'Sing' Tonight; Leona Neblett, Violinist, To Be Featured at Chorus Session". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1931-03-24. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Recital Sunday at Bartmus Residence". Palos Verdes Peninsula News. July 1, 1938. p. 3 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  11. ↑ "H. Jordan's To Live Here". Palos Verdes Peninsula News. May 18, 1950. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Joint Recital Planned". The Los Angeles Times. 1950-10-08. p. 115. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Violin Recital by Leona Neblett". The New York Times. 1928-04-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  14. ↑ "Philharmonic 'Pop' Concert; Georg Schneevoigt to Present 2 Novelties; Leona Neblett Soloist". Los Angeles Herald Examiner. 1929-03-02. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Leona Neblett Holding Summer Violin Classes". Los Angeles Herald Examiner. 1930-06-07. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Leona Neblett Violin School Presents Talented Artists in Public Recital Sept. 27". Hermosa Beach Review. 1929-09-26. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "L. A. County Music Teachers". The Music World. 1 (9): 12. February 1931.
  18. ↑ "Woman Loses Plea for Increase in Allowance". San Pedro News Pilot. August 7, 1934. p. 4 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  19. ↑ "Neblett v. Neblett". Justia Law. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  20. ↑ "Leona W. Neblett". The Daily Breeze. 1965-04-14. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (2017-11-28). "Carol Neblett, Soprano at the Met and City Opera, Dies at 71". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  22. ↑ "Meet Artist in Residence Carol Neblett". Chapman University College of Performing Arts. 2012-01-31. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
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