 | Erick Friedman |
Erick Friedman, one of America's most renowned violinists and a professor of violin at the School of Music, died on March 30, at the age of 64.
"The artistry of our esteemed colleague enriched all of music and touched countless thousands of people across the globe," said Robert Blocker, dean of the School of Music. "Though diminished by his death, we are enlarged by his life, the legacy of his musical contributions and the work of his gifted students."
A child prodigy, Professor Friedman enjoyed a performing, recording and teaching career that spanned six decades. He began playing the violin at the age of 6, studied at age 10 with Ivan Galamian at Juilliard and coached with Nathan Milstein when he was 14. His most notable early association was with Jascha Heifetz, who accepted him as one of his very few pupils, and with whom he recorded Bach's double violin concerto in 1961 for RCA. This event marked the beginning of Professor Friedman's professional career, and he went on to perform throughout the world as a recitalist and as a soloist with orchestras.
The violinist appeared with the New York Philharmonic and the National Symphony; the orchestras of New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Miami, Detroit and Indianapolis; the Berlin Philharmonic; Orchestre de Paris; and many other major orchestras throughout the world. He collaborated with such celebrated conductors as Herbert von Karajan, Leopold Stokowski, William Steinberg, Erich Leinsdorf, André Previn and Seiji Ozawa.
He recorded for RCA with the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony and London Symphony, and his recordings of the Bach sonatas for violin and clavecin and the Franck and Debussy sonatas won Grammy Award nominations. Professor Friedman won a 1996 Grammy Award for his participation in the BMG/RCA-CD set of all the recordings of Jascha Heifetz. Some of the internationally celebrated composers who have written and/or dedicated compositions to Professor Friedman include Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Isadore Freed, Ezra Laderman and Laurent Petitgirard.
Professor Friedman was the conductor and music director of the Garrett Lakes Summer Festival Orchestra in Maryland. He was a regular guest artist and conductor at many worldwide music festivals including, in the United States, the Northwest Chamber Orchestra in Seattle, Round Top Music Festival in Texas, the Newport Music Festival and the Yale Norfolk Festival. In November of 2000, he received the Ignace J. Paderewski Award for Distinguished Contributions to Society and Culture.
The violinist came to Yale as professor of music in 1989. Prior to that, he held teaching positions at Southern Methodist University, the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Manhattan School of Music.
His longtime friend and Yale colleague, violist Jesse Levine, said of the violinist, "Erick's playing was characterized by the most elegant phrasing, borne on a sound of rare beauty and purity, coupled with extraordinary technique. He was a devoted and dedicated teacher for many decades, whose many students have achieved success and position in music."
Contributions in lieu of flowers may be sent in Professor Friedman's memory to the American Cancer Society. A memorial event is being planned at Yale for the fall.
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