Igor Gruppman (born July 4, 1956) is a Ukrainian violinist and conductor. He is the Principal Conductor of the

Orchestra at Temple Square The Orchestra at Temple Square (Orchestra) is a 110-member orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Orchestra was created in 1999 under the direction of Gordon B. Hinckley, then the President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Churc ...

in Salt Lake City, Utah, a position he has held since 2003. In May 2009, Igor Gruppman was appointed by

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (, ; ; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conducting, conductor and opera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director o ...

to the position of music director of the newly formed Mariinsky Stradivary Orchestra. He currently also is Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Gruppman is a native of

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. He made his debut performance at the Kiev Philharmonic Hall in 1967. He is a graduate of the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

where he studied under

Leonid Kogan Leonid Borisovich Kogan (; ; 14 November 1924 – 17 December 1982) was a preeminent Soviet violinist during the 20th century. Many consider him to be among the greatest violinists of the 20th century. In particular, he is considered to have be ...

and

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enl ...

. Gruppman also studied with Jasha Heifetz at the USC School of Music in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Gruppman emigrated to the United States with his family in 1979. Soon after his future wife, Vesna Stefanovich-Gruppman, whom he had known at Moscow Central Music School and at Moscow Conservatory, also came to the United States, they were married. Igor Gruppman was the concertmaster of the San Diego Symphony from 1988 to 1995. He also was concertmaster of the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

from 1995 to 1998. He was Associate Conductor of the Florida Philharmonic from 1997 to 2003. Gruppman and his wife won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 1993 for the recording of Malcolm Arnold's Concerto for two violins. He and his wife lived in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

until 1997. Gruppman and his wife Vesna Stefanovich-Gruppman were members of the music faculty at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

from 1997 to 2003. In 1997 Gruppman was Guest concertmaster for the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

. Igor Gruppman taught at the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program (connected with the Idyllwild Arts Foundation) in Idyllwild, California for twenty consecutive years. In 2003 Gruppman also founded the Gruppman International Music Institute, designed to teach students from all over the world using distant-learning technologies. Starting in 2004 Gruppman served as Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Gruppman is also currently a professor at Codarts, the Rotterdam Conservatoire.''

Church News The ''Church News'' (formerly ''LDS Church News'') is a multi-platform supplement and subdivision of the ''Deseret News'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (informally, the LDS Church). ...

'', February 24, 2007, p. 6.

References

External links

Official website of Igor Gruppman

Official website of the Gruppman International Music Institute

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Website biography

BYU Magazine article on the Gruppmans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruppman, Igor 1956 births Latter Day Saints from California Brigham Young University faculty Converts to Mormonism Living people USC Thornton School of Music alumni Soviet emigrants to the United States Ukrainian male conductors (music) Ukrainian Latter Day Saints Musicians from Kyiv Latter Day Saints from Utah 21st-century Ukrainian conductors (music) Moscow Conservatory alumni Ukrainian classical violinists Male classical violinists 20th-century classical violinists 21st-century classical violinists Leaders of the London Symphony Orchestra Players of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra