Lelia West Schoenberg, 86, formerly of Sedona, died April 23.
Born in Payson, Utah, she attended Grinnell College, and later married Harry W. Schoenberg. She had a long career in Chicago in arts education and also served as a consultant for the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education and the Illinois Arts Council, and as president of the board of The Chicago Ensemble. Throughout her career and into retirement, she played violin and viola with many orchestras and chamber music groups.
She and her husband moved to Sedona in part because of the city’s potential to be a center for the arts.
An accomplished violinist and arts administrator, Schoenberg was very active in Sedona cultural life for two decades. Dedicated to making Sedona a true arts and cultural center, she served on the board of Chamber Music Sedona for nine years, was vice chairwoman of Sedona’s Arts & Culture Commission and co-chairwoman of the Arts Forum committee.
In 2002 she and cellist Dr. Tom Leenhouts cofounded the Verde Valley Chamber Orchestra, a precursor to the modern Verde Valley Sinfonietta.
She was also a founding member of the Opera League of Northern Arizona and Sedona Women and Film Lovers. She was also active in the Sedona Arts Center and Shakespeare Sedona.
Her contributions to local activities were recognized when she received the Mayor’s Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement from the city of Sedona Arts and Culture Commission in 2010.
She is survived by two daughters, three step-children and 14 grandchildren.