Oscar Shumsky

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Oscar Shumsky (born March 23, 1917 in Philadelphia , † July 24, 2000 in Rye / New York ) was an American violinist and music teacher.

The son of Russian immigrants has played the violin since early childhood and has often performed with the pianist and conductor Ernest Schelling . At the age of 8 he played Josef Suk's Fantasie for violin and orchestra with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the invitation of Leopold Stokowski . In 1925 he entered the Curtis Institute of Music , where Leopold von Auer and, after his death, Efrem Zimbalist, was his teacher.

After a trip to Europe, Arturo Toscanini brought him to the NBC Orchestra in 1939 , of which he was a member until 1942. At the same time he became principal violinist of the Primrose Quartet (with William Primrose , Joseph Gingold and Harvey Shapiro ). Shumsky served in the US Navy during World War II , after which he resumed his career as a violin soloist. He made studio recordings with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra and appeared on the radio, often accompanied by the pianist Earl Wild . In addition to Glenn Gould and Leonard Rose , he was co-director of the Stratford Festival rival in Toronto from 1959 .

From 1953 Shumsky taught at the New York Juilliard School , from 1961 to 1965 at the Curtis Institute and from 1975 to 1981 at Yale University . His students include Steven Staryk , Kathleen Lenski , Elliot Chapo , Ida Kavafian , Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer . his son Eric Shumsky was also known as a violinist.

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