Sylvia Polendo Blair was born in El Paso, TX, on January 7, 1958. She attended schools in central El Paso and graduated from Burges High School in 1976. An avid musician from a young age, Sylvia began piano lessons at age 5 and switched to the violin in elementary school at age 10. Her love of this instrument extended throughout her entire life, and she joined the El Paso Symphony Orchestra at 18 years of age in 1976. She toured Europe in the Chamber Ensemble with the Choir of the Southwest the summer after her high school graduation. Then she attended UTEP, studying with Abraham Chavez Jr. from 1976 – 1980; receiving her Bachelors of Music in Music Education in 1980 and her Masters of Music in 1981. She taught orchestra with the El Paso Independent School District for 35 years, from 1980 – 2015. All the while, Sylvia performed professionally for 45 years with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra from 1976 – 2021, the Las Cruces Symphony from 1980 – 2014, and La Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez. She participated in a tour of Germany in 1996 and Turkey in 2000 with El Paso Symphony. She also enjoyed chamber music and had a string quartet, A Touch of Class, that performed regularly for various functions. Sylvia married the love of her life, Dr. T Bruce Blair on May 24, 1996. He introduced her to scuba diving and they travelled the world diving, as well as visiting various countries throughout the world. Thought they had no children between them, Sylvia gained a beloved daughter Lauren as well as two precious grandchildren, Hendrix and Lola. “I have led a beautiful, charmed life with no regrets. If I could do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing. God has been so very very good to me!” In lieu of flowers, please donate to the El Paso Symphony Orchestra.
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