ON THIS DAY

Today is Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly’s 66th birthday. Maestro Chailly is widely regarded as one of today’s foremost conductors. He has held principal conducting positions with...

Today is Latvian violin virtuoso Baiba Skride's 38th birthday! A graduate of the Rostock Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Petru Munteanu, Baiba was awarded 1st...

Today is Russian violin virtuoso Alena Baeva's 34th birthday. A student of Eduard Grach at the Moscow Central School of Music, Tchaikovsky Conservatoire and the Moscow...

Acclaimed Australian conductor Stuart Challender was born on this day in 1947. A graduate of the Victorian Conservatory of Music, he served Principal Conducting positions...

Hungarian violin virtuoso Joseph Szigeti died on this day in 1973 – aged 80. A protégée of Jeno Hubay, Mr Szigeti is remembered as one of the...

Today is Israeli-American violin virtuoso Gil Shaham’s 48th birthday. A graduate of the Juilliard School and Columbia University, where he studied with Dorothy DeLay and...

Sergei Prokofiev‘s Sinfonia Concertante in E Minor Op. 125 premiered on this day in 1952. The first performance was given by legendary cello virtuoso Mstislav Rostropovich - with...

Soviet composer Dmitry Kabalevsky died on this day in 1987 - aged 82. He is remembered for his contribution to developing young talent – having...

Italian violin virtuoso and composer Camillo Sivori died on this day in 1894 - 125 years ago. He is remembered in history as Niccolo Paganini's only...

German violinist Willy Hess died on this day in 1939 – aged 79. A protege of Joseph Joachim, he was a former Concertmaster of the...

Today is French violin virtuoso Olivier Charlier's 58th birthday. A student of Yehudi Menuhin and Henryk Szeryng, he is a former 1st prize winner at...

Belgian composer and violinist Henri Vieuxtemps was born on this day in 1820. A protege of Charles de Bériot, he is remembered as one of...

French violinist and composer Pierre Rode was born on this day in 1774 – 245 years ago. A student of Giovanni Battista Viotti, Rode...

Today is Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer John Corigliano's 81st birthday. A graduate of Columbia University and the Manhattan School of Music, his signature works include...

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 35 premiered on this day in 1945. The first performance was given by Jascha Heifetz with...

Alexander Glazunov Violin Concerto in A Minor Op. 82 premiered on this day in 1905 – 114 years ago. The first performance was given by...

Today is celebrated Russian violin virtuoso Victor Pikayzen's 86th birthday. A protege of David Oistrakh, he is a former prize winner at the Paganini, Queen...

American comedian, vaudevillian and violinist Jack Benny was born on this day in 1894 – 125 years ago. Dying in 1974, he is widely regarded...

Legendary German composer, conductor, theatre director and polemicist, Richard Wagner died on this day in 1883 – 136 years ago, aged 69. His signature works...

French violin virtuoso and composer Émile Sauret died on this day in 1920, 99 years ago – aged 67. A protégé of Charles de Beriot and Henri Vieuxtemps, he...

Today is South-Korean VC Young Artist Ji-Young Lim’s 24th birthday. A graduate of the Korean National University of Arts where she studied with Nam-Yun Kim, and current student of...

American violinist, pianist and pedagogue Louis Persinger was born on this day in 1887 – 132 years ago. His famed students included Yehudi Menuhin, Ruggiero Ricci,...

Italian violinist and composer Antonio Bazzini died on this day in 1897 – 122 years ago. Bazzini is remembered as one of the finest concert...

Italian luthier Carlo Bergonzi died on this day in 1747. He is remembered as one of Antonio Stradivari's greatest pupils – later inheriting Stradivari's repair...

American violinist Louis Kaufman died on this day in 1994 – aged 88. It is estimated he is possibly the most recorded musical artist in...

German composer and music publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister died on this day in 1812 – 207 years ago. Hoffmeister's major contributions to the string repertoire...

The original version of Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D Minor premiered on this day in 1904 – 115 years ago. The first performance...

Today is American composer, conductor and pianist John Williams’ 87th birthday. The recipient of 3 Emmy Awards, 5 Academy Awards and 21 Grammy Awards, he...

Today is Belarusian cellist, VC Young Artist Ivan Karizna’s 27th birthday. A student of Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy, Ivan is a former major...

Samuel Barber Violin Concerto Op. 14 premiered on this day in 1941 – 78 years ago. The first performance was given by violinist Albert Spalding with...

Norwegian violinist and composer Ole Bull was born on this day in 1810 - 209 years ago. Bull is remembered as one of the preeminent virtuosi of...

Polish-American violinist Piotr Janowski was born on this day in 1951 – 68 years ago. A student of Ivan Galamian, Zino Francescatti, Henryk Szeryng and Jascha Heifetz, Mr Janowski was a former...

Austrian-born American conductor Erich Leinsdorf was born on this day in 1912 – 107 years ago. Dying in 1993, Maestro Leinsdorf served Principal conducting positions...

Russian violin virtuoso Nelli Shkolnikova died on this day in 2010 – aged 81. A student of Lillia Kossodo and Yuri Yankelevich, Ms Shkolnikova was...

Austrian-born violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler was born on this day in 1875 – 144 years ago. He is widely regarded as one of the...

Legendary violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz was born on this day in 1901 – 118 years ago. A protégé of Leopold Auer, he is remembered in history as one of...

Austrian composer Franz Schubert was born on this day in 1797. Despite dying aged just 31, he was tremendously prolific - outputting 9 symphonies, more than...

Today is American composer Philip Glass' 82nd birthday! Described as a composer of 'music with repetitive structures', Mr Glass is widely regarded as one of...

Today is Canadian VC Artist Nikki Chooi’s 30th birthday! A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School, Nikki is a former...

Today is Canadian violinist, VC Young Artist Blake Pouliot’s 25th birthday! A graduate of the Colburn School, where he studied with Robert Lipsett, Blake is a...

Today is Japanese violin virtuoso Sayaka Shoji's 36th birthday! A protege of Zakhar Bron, Sayaka shot to international fame at age 16 – after winning...

Today is American cellist Lynn Harrell's 75th birthday! A protege of Leonard Rose and Orlando Cole, Mr Harrell is widely respected as one of the...

Today is Romanian-born violin virtuoso, Silvia Marcovici's birthday! A former 1st prize winner at the Long-Jacques Thibaud and George Enescu International Violin Competitions, she is...

Polish-American violin virtuoso Bronislav Gimpel was born on this day in 1911 – 108 years ago. A protege of Carl Flesch, Mr Gimpel is remembered...

Austrian-American violin virtuoso & composer Fritz Kreisler died on this day in 1962, from a heart condition - aged 86. He is widely regarded as...

Today is Taiwanese-American violin virtuoso Cho-Liang Lin's 59th birthday! A student of Dorothy DeLay, Cho-Liang has made appearances with virtually every major orchestra in the world,...

Polish-American pianist Arthur Rubinstein was born on this day in 1887 – 132 years ago. A student of Karl Heinrich Barth, Maestro Rubinstein is remembered...

Today is French violin virtuoso Renaud Capucon's 43rd birthday! A protege of Gérard Poulet, he is widely regarded as one of today's eminent violin...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on this day in 1756 – 263 years ago. Mozart is remembered in history as one of the most prolific and...

Today is German violin virtuoso, VC Artist Sarah Christian’s 29th birthday. A graduate of the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler and University of Mozarteum Salzburg, where she studied...