LEWISTON – Natasha Chances, 89, of Lewiston, died Tuesday, April 24.

She was born in Odessa, Russia, on March 1, 1918. When she was a very young child, she and her parents moved to Paris, France, where she grew up. From a young age, she was trained to be a concert pianist. She was a graduate of the l’Ecole de Normale de Musique de Paris. She also received a master’s degree in music pedagogy. In addition, she studied at the Sorbonne.

In 1940, she came to the U.S. with her parents. She lived in New York City, where she met her husband, Ralph Chances, and began teaching piano privately. She also taught for a brief period at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. From 1952 to 55, she taught at the New Orleans Conservatory of Music.

In 1958, her husband joined the Bates College faculty as a professor in the Department of Economics. From that time until her death, she taught piano in Lewiston. She taught private students, from children through adults and from 1974 until her death, she was on the Applied Music Faculty of Bates College. A concert – organized by the Bates College Music Department and open to the public -in honor of the memory of Natasha Chances, will take place this fall at a date to be announced.

She instilled a love of music in all of her students, those who went on to become professional musicians and those who were studying piano just for pleasure alone. She had a passion for teaching and a passion for life. She gave her students piano lessons, and they learned, from her, lessons in music and lessons in life. She had a genuine sense of wonder and curiosity about the world.

She is survived by her daughter, Ellen; her son, Kenneth; a grandchild, Rhiannon; and her beloved dog, Molly.

She was predeceased by her husband in 1997.