Scionti, Isabel, 1912-2002

Isabel Scionti was born Isabel Laughlin on February 16, 1912, in Premont, Texas. Her parents recognized her talent early, and took her for piano lessons at Texas A & I at Kingsville when she was an adolescent. She graduated with honors from Baylor University after studying with Roxy Grove, who instructed her to continue her studies with Silvio Scionti in Chicago. Laughlin and Scionti married, and became renowned as a piano duo, performing at Carnegie Hall in 1938 and 1939. They relocated to Denton in the 1940s, as Silvio joined the music faculty at what is now the University of North Texas, and she maintained a thriving private studio. She was a lifetime member of Sigma Alpha Iota and the Denton Music Teachers Association, and was named Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Texas Music Teachers Association. She later married William R. Hicks. Isabel Scionti died in Denton on June 26, 2002.