Ivan Galamian

Ivan Galamian
Galamian, circa 1930s
Born	Ivan Alexander Galamian (1903-01-23)January 23, 1903 O.S. Tabriz, Iran
Died	April 14, 1981(1981-04-14) (aged 78) New York City, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Moscow School of Philharmonic Society
Occupation	Violinist, teacher
Years active	1924–1981
Known for	Teaching at Juilliard, Meadowmount School of Music
Spouse(s)	Judith Johnson

Ivan Alexander Galamian (Armenian: Իվան Ղալամեան; February 5 [O.S. January 23] 1903 – April 14, 1981) was an Iranian-born Armenian violin teacher of the twentieth century.

Galamian was born in Tabriz, Iran to an Armenian family. Soon after his birth the family emigrated to Moscow, Russia. Galamian studied violin at the School of the Philharmonic Society with Konstantin Mostras (a student of Leopold Auer) and graduated in 1919. He was jailed at age fifteen by the Bolshevik government. The opera manager at the Bolshoi Theatre rescued Galamian; the manager argued that Galamian was a necessary part of the opera orchestra, and subsequently the government released him. Soon thereafter he moved to Paris and studied under Lucien Capet in 1922 and 1923. In 1924 he debuted in Paris. Due to a combination of nerves, health, and a fondness for teaching, Galamian eventually gave up the stage in order to teach full-time. He became a faculty member at the Conservatoire Rachmaninoff where he taught from 1925 to 1929. His earliest pupils in Paris include Vida Reynolds, the first woman in Philadelphia Orchestra's first-violin section, and Paul Makanowitzky.

In 1937 Galamian moved permanently to the United States. In 1941 he married Judith Johnson in New York City. He taught violin at the Curtis Institute of Music beginning in 1944, and became the head of the violin department at the Juilliard School in 1946. He wrote two violin method books, Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching (1962) and Contemporary Violin Technique (1962). Galamian incorporated aspects of both the Russian and French schools of violin technique in his approach. In 1944 he founded the Meadowmount School of Music, a summer program in Westport, New York. The school has remained operational and has trained thousands of world class musicians. Galamian taught concurrently at Curtis, Juilliard, and Meadowmount schools. He did not retire and maintained an active full-time work schedule. He died at the age of 78 in 1981 in New York City. Following his passing, his wife took on an active role in managing the Meadowmount school.