The Sarah Lawrence community mourns the passing of Kenneth Wentworth, music faculty emeritus, who passed away Sunday, March 22. He was 92 years old.
Ken was a proud and dedicated member of the Sarah Lawrence faculty, teaching at the College for nearly 40 years, most of those alongside his wife of 68 years, Jean, who passed away in 2017. Ken and Jean were inseparable; as duo pianists, they shared the same piano bench for the majority of their performing careers, playing four-hand concerts around the world. For decades, the two were a familiar, beloved pair for hundreds of music students at the College. Ken’s contributions radiated out from Sarah Lawrence. A Fulbright took the Wentworths to India where Ken served as the principal of the Calcutta School of Music. After returning to the US, Ken helped found an Upward Bound program serving students from Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle, and Yonkers. He founded, and for many years was the director of, a popular concert series called “Summer Evenings at Sarah Lawrence.” These activities and others led to a long and admiring profile by the The New York Times.
Following Jean’s death, Ken and his family established the Jean Wentworth Music Residency at Sarah Lawrence, which has brought performing musicians of distinction to campus to work with students in program areas of music and beyond.
“I was so very pleased to get to know and work with Ken,” said Sarah Lawrence President Cristle Collins Judd. “He quickly became a memorable part of my life and is part of Sarah Lawrence’s history—dedicating much of his life to sharing his knowledge with our students and community. I was so grateful we could establish the Wentworth Residency in a way that pleased him, and for Ken and his children to experience together the first residencies. We look forward to sharing the memory and spirit of Ken and Jean through performances and classes in the years to come.”
The College extends its deepest sympathies to Ken’s children, David Wentworth ’74 and Martha Woods ’81—Sarah Lawrence alumni themselves—and the many family and friends whose lives were touched by his warmth and generosity.