Vera Fonaroff (June 14, 1883, Kiev – July 23, 1962, New York, NY) was an American classical violinist and violin teacher of Russian-Jewish heritage.
[1] Born in Kiev on June 14, 1883, to Alexander and Sonia Hochstein, the family immigrated to the United States in 1900.
In 1905 she married Mark Fonaroff, a fellow Russian emigrant who was also her violin teacher and is also known for famous chess game he played against José Raúl Capablanca in 1918.
At nine years old, Fonaroff debuted as a violin soloist with the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra, and thereafter made frequent solo appearances.
In 1909, Fonaroff joined the all-woman Olive Mead String Quartet as second violinist.