Louis Persinger

Louis Persinger (b. Rochester, Illinois, 11 February 1887; died New York 31 December 1966)  was an American violinist and pianist.

Louis Persinger first performed in public when he was 12 years old.  He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory with Hans Becker,  and later with  Eugène Ysaÿe in Brussels, and for two summers with Jacques Thibaud in France. He became leader of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra and the Royal Opera Orchestra in Brussels.  In 1912 he returned to the USA and played with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.  In 1915 he was appointed leader and assistant conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. He followed Leopold Auer in 1930 as a teacher at the Juilliard School, in New York.

Besides his work performing with orchestras he played chamber music, forming his own string quartet and directing the Chamber Music Society of San Francisco.

Persinger is particularly remembered now as the teacher of several great violinists, including Yehudi Menuhin, Ruggiero Ricci, Isaac Stern.   His way of teaching was different from that of most other teachers.  He focussed on things that would make his pupils interested and used simple words.

As a piano accompanist he played with Ruggiero Ricci for many recitals and recordings.  He also played for Yehudi Menuhin when the 10 year old boy gave his first recital in New York.

On his 75th birthday he gave a recital at the Julliard School of Music, playing half the programme on the violin and the other half on the piano.

References
 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ed Stanley Sadie vol 14 (1980) 
 Unfinished Journey, Yehudi Menuhin (1976), Macdonald and Jane's.  

Category:American violinists
Category:Concertmasters
Category:American pianists
Category:1887 births
Category:1966 deaths