Robert Davidovici (born 1946) is a Romanian-American violinist. He took First Prize honors in the

Naumburg Competition The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsors competitions and provides awards for young classical musicians in North America. Founded in 1925, it operates the prestigious Naumburg Competition. Foundation and concerts It was founded in 1925 by Wal ...

in 1972. In 1983 Davidovici tied, with

Maryvonne Le Dizès Maryvonne Le Dizès (25 June 1940 – 9 August 2024), also known as Maryvonne Le Dizès-Richard, was a French violinist and academic teacher. She is best known for her work on contemporary classical music, as violinist of the Ensemble intercont ...

, for first place in the Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition. The prize was $77,000 and Davidovici received half. Robert Davidovici was born in the

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

region of Romania. He studied the violin with Robert Pickler in Sydney, with

David Oistrakh David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (; – 24 October 1974) was a Soviet Russian violinist, List of violists, violist, and Conducting, conductor. He was also Professor at the Moscow Conservatory, People's Artist of the USSR (1953), and Laureate of the ...

and at 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 ...

in New York City. In 1967, he was a prize winner in the

ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards The ABC Young Performers Awards is a classical music competition for young people that ran annually from 1944 to 2015, and again from 2017. It is generally considered the most prestigious Australian classical music competition not restricted to ...

in Australia. In 1983, Davidovici was the artist-in-residence at

North Texas State University The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

in Denton, Texas. In 1997, while he was a

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...

in the

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The VSO performs at the Orpheum, which has been the orchestra's permanent home since 1977. With an annual operating budget of $16 million, it is ...

, Davidovici joined the faculty of

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

in Miami, Florida. Davidovici is the founding artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth. In February 2007, Davidovici was soloist at Lincoln Center's

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, designed by Max Abramovitz, was o ...

in the American premiere of the Kletzki Violin Concerto (1928) with the

American Symphony Orchestra The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York–based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski whose mission is to demystify orchestral music and make it accessible and affordable for all audiences. Leon Botstein is the orchestra ...

conducted by

Leon Botstein Leon Botstein (born December 14, 1946, in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss-born American conductor, educator, historical musicologist, and scholar serving as the President of Bard College. Biography Botstein was born in Zürich, Switzerland, ...

, following which the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' commented on the "excellent " performance. In October 2013, Mr. Davidovici performed the Beethoven Violin Concerto in London with 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 ...

at Cadogan Hall, under Grzegorz Nowak, after which they recorded their 2nd CD, containing the Beethoven and Mendelssohn Violin Concerti. In February 2015, Davidovici recorded the

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

and

Tschaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

Violin Concerti with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under Nowak, as their 3rd CD collaboration. A few days later, they performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in

Cadogan Hall Cadogan Hall is a 950-seat capacity concert hall in Sloane Terrace in Chelsea, London, Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England. The resident music ensemble at Cadogan Hall is the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ( ...

London concert series.

References

External links

Interview with Dr. Elena Ursu on Rompost TVInterview with Cecilia Burcescu on Rompost TVViolin Master Class: Robert Davidovici on Bartok's Concerto for OrchestraRobert Davidovici site - 2021 archive
Living people 20th-century classical violinists 21st-century classical violinists Jewish classical violinists Romanian classical violinists Male classical violinists 1946 births 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians People from Transylvania 20th-century Romanian Jews Romanian emigrants to the United States Concertmasters Players of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra {{violinist-stub