Efrem Zimbalist, Sr.
| Efrem Zimbalist | |
|---|---|
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Zimbalist with his violin, circa 1915-1920
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| Born |
April 21, 1889 Rostov on Don, Russia |
| Died | February 22, 1985 (aged 95) Reno, Nevada, United States of America |
| Occupation | Violinist |
| Spouse(s) |
Alma Gluck Mary Louise Curtis Bok |
| Children |
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (son) Maria (daughter) |
| Relatives | Stephanie Zimbalist (granddaughter) |
Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. (April 21, 1889 - February 22, 1985) was an internationally known concert violinist, composer, teacher, conductor and director of the Curtis Institute of Music.
Zimbalist was born in the southwestern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, the son of Jewish parents Maria (née Litvinoff) and Aron Zimbalist (Цимбалист, Russian pronunciation [tsɪmbaˈlʲist]), who was a conductor. By the age of nine, Efrem Zimbalist was first violin in his father’s orchestra. At age 12 he entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and studied under Leopold Auer. He graduated from the Conservatory in 1907 after winning a gold medal and the Rubinstein Prize, and by age 21 was considered one of the world's greatest violinists.
After graduation he debuted in Berlin (playing the Brahms Concerto) and London in 1907 and in the United States in 1911, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1912, he played the Glazunov Concerto in a concert marking Leopold Stokowski's first appearance with the London Symphony Orchestra. He then settled in the United States. He did much to popularize the performance of early music. In 1917, he was elected as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music, by the fraternity's Alpha Chapter at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He retired as a violinist in 1949, but returned in 1952 to give the first performance of the Violin Concerto by Gian Carlo Menotti, which is dedicated to him. He retired again in 1955. He served as a juror of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1962 and 1966.
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