RUTH VALDERRAMA SITJAR

Ruth Valderrama Sitjar, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and piano teacher to generations of students, passed away peacefully on October 3, 2025 at her home in Los Angeles. Born June 17, 1926 in Wahiawa, Oahu, Ruth began studying the piano at age five followed by comprehensive academic and music studies at the Punahou School. Upon graduation, Ruth took a ship accompanied by warships to Los Angeles, where she purchased a one-way train ticket to New York City. She was accepted to the Juilliard School of Music (currently known as the Juilliard School) as a piano major student of Josef Raieff. Upon completion of her conservatory studies, Ruth married Felix Sitjar, a violinist, and a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. From Dallas, where Felix was concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony, Ruth, Felix, and their first child moved to Los Angeles to set down permanent and musical roots, expand their family, and create an enduring contribution to the music community.

Ever curious and always a student, Ruth, along with her daughters Allyn, Lisa, and Yolanda, began intensive studies with the legendary Mme. Ethel Leginska – world renowned pianist, conductor, composer, and teacher. While raising her family, Ruth established a lifelong friendship with the ballet dancer and choreographer, Wilson Morelli, expanding her considerable skills as a ballet pianist and opening up a world of music repertoire possibilities to him, thus resulting in a cross discipline partnership. As a solo pianist and collaborator with Felix and sister-in-law Josephine Sitjar (singer and pianist and also an alumna of Curtis), Ruth also built a piano teaching practice, establishing herself as a leading piano teacher in Southern California for over five decades. She was a highly sought after adjudicator of local piano competitions and festivals, and president of the MTNA Southern California (currently known as the California Association of Professional Music Teachers) for several years. She took special pride that some of her students were accepted to the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, the Peabody Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and UCLA, all with thriving careers in classical music. In addition, other students went on to graduate from Harvard, Brown University, and Columbia University becoming doctors and successful business professionals throughout the United States and abroad.

She is survived by her daughters Dana Perkins, Allyn, Lisa (Sean Swinney), and Yolanda; grandchildren Sean Perkins (Lucia) and Sara Nersesian (Billy Goldstein); great-grandchildren Eleanor Perkins, Emilia Perkins, and Henry Goldstein; and two sisters.

We will honor Ruth at a virtual Celebration of Life on Saturday, June 20, 2026 at noon (EDT). Everyone is invited to attend; details to follow. In lieu of flowers, and with heartfelt thanks, tax-deductible contributions in Ruth’s memory may be made to the Juilliard Scholarship Fund. Gifts may be made online at https://giving.juilliard.edu/gift, a check payable to The Juilliard School (kindly reference Ruth V. Sitjar in the memo portion of the check) and mailed to: Juilliard, Office of Development, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, or by calling Irene Brennan at Juilliard, 212-799-5000, ext. 309.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of RUTH VALDERRAMA SITJAR, please visit our flower store.