Romanian Violinist Sherban Lupu has Died, Aged 71

A faculty member at the University of Illinois, Lupu was also a champion of the music of George Enescu

Born in Brasov, Romania in 1952, Lupu studied initially with George Manoliu at the Bucharest Conservatory of Music, then continued on to London where he learned from Yfrah Neaman at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. During this time, he took lessons with some of the century's most celebrated violinists, including Yehudi Menuhin, Henryk Szering, and Nathan Milstein.

Early in his career, Lupu achieved a great deal of competition success, winning the Vienna International, Romanian National String Quartet, Jacques Thibaud, and Carl Flesch competitions. He also made a number of prominent solo appearances in venues such as the Kennedy Center and Queen Elisabeth Hall, and he performed the complete cycle of Beethoven Sonatas with pianist Menahem Pressler.

Lupu became a professor at the University of Illinois in 1986 and taught there for a quarter of a century before his retirement. He was also the artistic director of the Gubbio Festival in Italy and associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera.

Lupu was a particular champion of the works of George Enescu and made various efforts to promote his works. For instance, Lupu completed and reconstructed Enescu's Caprice Roumain in collaboration with the composer Cornel Taranu, and he edited six volumes of previously unknown works by the composer.

Lupu held two honorary doctorates: one from the Academy of Music "G. Dima" in Cluj, Romania, and one from the Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania. In 2000, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Romanian Cultural Foundation, and in 2004 was made a Commander of the National Order of Merit and Service.

Our condolences to Mr. Lupu's family, friends, and colleagues.