Walberg, Betty

Betty Walberg was born on July 11, 1921 in Nebraska. She was a graduate of Bennington College. She often collaborated with modern dancers, serving as a pianist for the first American Dance Festival at Connecticut College in 1948 and for such choreographers as Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Anna Sokolov and Martha Hill. Over the years she taught at many places, including the Julliard School, the School of Performing Arts in New York City, the University of California-Santa Cruz, California State University-Long Beach and the University of Hawaii. She was the dance arranger for the original productions of Jerome Robbins’ Gypsy, (1961) and Fiddler on the Roof, (1964)and for both the Broadway and film version of West Side Story, (1957 and 1961).

Her credits include dance arrangements for the original productions of Jerome Robbins' Gypsy, (1961) and Fiddler on the Roof, (1964) and for both the Broadway and film versons of West Side Story, (1957 and 1961).

Other Broadway productions include Anyone Can Whistle, It’s a Bird…Its a Plane…Its Superman (1966), Kelly (1965), and On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, (1965). She also contributed arrangements to several Fred Astaire television specials.

As company pianist for Ballets: USA, the troupe Mr. Robbins’ founded in 1958, she appeared on stage on September 4, 1958 in the New York premiere of the revised version of The Concert, a comic work Robbins had originally choreographed for the New York City Ballet in 1956. Ms. Walberg portrayed a long-suffering pianist who plays a Chopin recital while dancers act out their often-bizarre daydreams and fantasies.

At the time of her death, Walberg was a lecturer in dance at the University of California-Santa Barbara. She died October 3, 1990 in Santa Barbara, California and is survived by nieces and nephews.

From the guide to the Betty Walberg scores, 1964-1971, (The New York Public Library. Music Division.)