Kurt Sassmannshaus is a German

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

instructor, primarily at the

University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a performing and media arts college of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. Initially established as the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1867, CCM is one of the ...

and Great Wall International Music Academy.

Life and career

Born in Würzburg, Germany, he is the son of violin pedagogue Egon Sassmannshaus. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Cologne, where he studied with

Igor Ozim Igor Ozim (9 May 1931 – 23 March 2024) was a Slovenian classical violinist and Pedagogy, pedagogue. He was based in Salzburg, Austria. Life and career Igor Ozim was born in 1931 in Ljubljana. He came from a musical family: both parents played ...

, Sassmannshaus received a master's degree from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

as a scholarship student of

Dorothy DeLay Dorothy DeLay (March 31, 1917 – March 24, 2002) was an American violin teacher, instructor, primarily at the Juilliard School, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Cincinnati. Life Dorothy DeLay was born on March 31, 1917, in Medic ...

, and won first prize in the International Chamber Music Competition in Colmar, France. He taught at the University of Texas, Austin and at Sarah Lawrence College before joining CCM full-time in 1983. He currently holds school's distinguished Dorothy Richard Starling Chair for Classical Violin, a position previously held by the late Dorothy Delay. Sassmannshaus has taught around the world, including master classes in Europe, the United States, Japan, China, and Australia, and has worked in close association with Dorothy DeLay both in Cincinnati and at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Sassmannshaus's students include prizewinners of major international competitions, prominent soloists and chamber musicians, and orchestra leaders in ensembles such as the London Philharmonic, Cape Town, North German State Radio, Frankfurt Radio, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland orchestras. His former students also hold faculty positions in European and American conservatories and universities including Lübeck, the University of Michigan, University of Boulder, and the Peabody Conservatory. In 1987, he founded the Starling Preparatory String Project as an integrated pre-collegiate program for string players. In addition to a subscription concert series and concerto showcases in Cincinnati, the Starling Chamber Orchestra regularly records, commissions new works, and tours internationally. They have appeared throughout Europe, Korea, China, and at New York's Lincoln Center. The orchestra was recently featured on the syndicated Public Radio International show “From the Top,” and has been the subject of feature articles in The New York Times and Washington Post.Shoenbaum, David. "Building a New Conservatory the American Way." The New York Times. June 4, 200. In 1996, Sassmannshaus expanded the Starling programs and founded “Starling Kids”, a broad based community violin program at CCM and several local schools.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sassmannshaus, Kurt Violin educators Living people Year of birth missing (living people)