Sidney Durst (1879-1957), composer, received a diploma in 1890 from the College of Music in Cincinnati and taught there for five years before further study in Munich. A theorist and organist, he rejoined the college faculty in 1923 and was named acting director in July 1930 before serving as director from 1931 to 1934. He later served as director of studies and for seven years before his retirement in 1951 as dean, when he was named dean emeritus, and his Concert Piece for Organ and Orchestra was performed to mark the occasion.
Durst was an active composer of works for piano, both sacred and secular solo songs, and church music, as well as a cantata for male chorus and a children’s operetta. His interest in Iberian music resulted in Modern Spanish Organ Music: Edited and Prepared for the American Church and Concert Organ (1920). He was also active as an organ recitalist, served several Cincinnati churches and one synagogue as organist, became a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists in 1916, and served as dean of the Southern Ohio Chapter of the AGO for a decade. In 1925, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Miami University.
