Efrem Zimbalist, Sr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efrem_Zimbalist

Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. (21 April [O.S. 9 April] 1889 or 1890 – February 22, 1985) was one of the world's most prominent concert violinists, as well as a composer, teacher, conductor and a long-time director of the Curtis Institute of Music.

Early life

Zimbalist was born in the southwestern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don (Rostov-na-Donu), the son of Jewish parents Maria (née Litvinoff) and Aron Zimbalist, 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 St. Petersburg 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.

Career

After graduation he debuted in Berlin (playing the Brahms concerto) and London in 1907 and in the U.S. in 1911, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1912, he played the Glazunov Violin Concerto in a concert marking Leopold Stokowski's first appearance with the London Symphony Orchestra. He then settled in the U.S. 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. In 1928, Zimbalist began teaching at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He was director of the school from 1941 to 1968. His pupils included such distinguished musicians as Aaron Rosand, Harold Wippler, Oscar Shumsky, Felix Slatkin, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and Hidetaro Suzuki.

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.

His own compositions include a violin concerto, the American Rhapsody, a tone poem called Daphnis and Chloe, a Fantasy on themes from The Golden Cockerel by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and a piece called Sarasateana, for violin and piano. He also wrote an opera Landara, which premiered in Philadelphia in 1956.

Personal life

He married the famous American soprano Alma Gluck and they toured together for a time. Alma Gluck died in 1938. In 1943, having been a widower for 5 years, he married the school's founder, Mary Louise Curtis Bok, daughter of publisher, Cyrus Curtis, and 14 years his senior.

He died in 1985, at the age of 94. His and Alma's son, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., and their granddaughter, Stephanie Zimbalist, both became popular actors.

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Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. (21 April [O.S. 9 April] 1889 or 1890[2] – February 22, 1985) was an internationally known concert violist, 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 [ts%C9%AAmba%CB%88l%CA%B2ist]), 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. In 1928, Zimbalist began teaching at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He was director of the school from 1941 to 1968. His pupils included such distinguished musicians as Aaron Rosand,[4] Oscar Shumsky, Joseph Silverstein, Jascha Brodsky, John Dalley, Michael Tree, Felix Slatkin, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Harold Wippler and Hidetaro Suzuki.

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. His own compositions include a violin concerto, the American Rhapsody, a tone poem called Daphnis and Chloe, a Fantasy on themes from The Golden Cockerel by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and a piece called Sarasateana, for violin and piano. He also wrote an opera, Landara, which premiered in Philadelphia in 1956.

He married the famous American soprano Alma Gluck and they toured together for a time. Alma Gluck died in 1938. In 1943, having been a widower for five years, he married the school's founder, Mary Louise Curtis Bok,[6] daughter of publisher, Cyrus Curtis, and 14 years his senior.

He died in 1985, at the age of 94. His and Alma's son, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., and their granddaughter, Stephanie Zimbalist, both became popular actors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efrem_Zimbalist

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Concert Violinist. Born in Rostov-on-Don, the son of Aaron Zimbalist, an orchestra conductor with the Rostov Opera,with whom he began his studies, by the age of 9, he was a member of the orchestra. In 1901, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied composition with Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He earned the school's gold medal and a prize of 1,200 rubles upon his graduation in 1907. That year, he made his solo stage debut in Berlin, followed by a brief European tour. Reviews of his performances ranged from 'genius' to 'perfection.' He made his American debut in October 1911, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1914, he married noted operatic soprano, Alma Gluck, with whom he toured until her retirement in 1925. They had two children, including a namesake son who eventually made his own mark as an actor. Zimbalist also composed songs, chamber music, and an opera; 'Landara.' He won critical praise with the light operetta 'Honeydew,' which was produced on Broadway in 1920. In 1928, he joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, becoming the head of the department two years later. Three years after he was widowed, he was appointed the director of the institute in 1941, and in 1943, he married Mary Curtis Bok, founder of the Curtis Institute. His farewell concerts in 1949 and 1950 drew large, appreciative audiences. He was regarded by many the finest violinist of his generation. He served as jury member for the Moscow Tchaikovsky competitions in 1962 and 1966. He retired from his position at the Curtis Institute in 1968. He completed his last work, a revision of an earlier composition, 'Sarasateana,' in 1984. He continued to play the violin for half hour every day until his death at 95.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 8 2019, 4:17:14 UTC

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• Residence: Census - Apr 10 1930 - Manhattan (Districts 0501-0750), New York, New York, United States
• Residence: Census 1940 - 1935 - Assembly District 15, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States
• Residence: Census 1940 - 1935 - New Hartford Town, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States
• Residence: Census - Apr 16 1940 - Assembly District 15, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States
• Residence: Census - June 5 1940 - New Hartford Town, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States
• Residence: Obituary - Feb 25 1985 - Washington, District of Columbia, United States
  • Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Mar 9 2020, 18:02:17 UTC