Happy Birthday, Gidon Kremer!

Born on the 27th of February, 1947, Kremer commenced violin studies at age four with his father and grandfather, both professional violinists. He continued his musical education at the Riga School of Music, primarily under the tutelage of Voldemar Sturestep. From 1965 onward, Kremer furthered his studies with David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory.

In 1967, he was awarded third prize at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels and first prize at the Paganini Competition in Genoa. In 1970 he also won first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.