Berl Senofsky

Berl Senofsky
Senofsky in 1956
Born	(1926-04-19)April 19, 1926 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 21, 2002(2002-06-21) (aged 76) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Juilliard
Occupation	Violinist, teacher
Years active	1946−1996
Organization	Peabody Conservatory

Berl Senofsky (April 19, 1926 − June 21, 2002) was an American classical violinist and teacher, active during the twentieth century.

Senofsky was born in Philadelphia in 1926. His parents were violinists and had moved to the United States from the Soviet Union. He started on violin at age three and was taught by his father. His talent was noted early on. At age six he won a scholarship to study with Louis Persinger. At age twelve he won a scholarship to study at Juilliard with Ivan Galamian, which turned into a twelve-year association.

Senofsky served in the milliary during World War II. Following the war he debuted in New York City and won the William Naumburg Competition in 1946. Soon after, he started to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell. He was the assistant concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1951 to 1955. In 1955 he became the first American to win the Queen Elisabeth Competition, an international competition in Belgium. Subsequently, he became a jury member of the competition and toured extensively and internationally, including in Australia, Africa, Europe, South America, United States, Soviet Union and East Asia. In the United States he performed with the New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony and others.

Senofsky was a faculty member at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and taught from 1965 to 1996. During this period, he gave a performance at the Library of Congress which was recorded and subsequently released. He founded the American Artists International Foundation which prepared young violinists for competition. In 1983 he was invited to China by the Shanghai Conservatory to teach, perform, and start a music program.