Yuval Waldman
Russian–Israeli violinist and conductor Yuval Waldman died on 1 February at the age of 74. An enterprising musician, tutor and co-founder of numerous festivals, he was noted for rediscovering neglected works, often composed under oppressive circumstances. In 2004 he founded Music Bridges International, which promoted concerts and educational programmes including music from different cultures. He also performed and conducted programmes such as ‘Music of Oppression and Liberation’, featuring composers persecuted for their beliefs, and ‘Music Forgotten and Remembered’, featuring works by Eastern European Jews.
Born Vladimir Waldman in 1946 in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, Waldman began playing the violin at the age of four, and performed on Soviet National Radio aged seven. His family emigrated to Israel, via Poland, Austria and Italy, in 1957. He changed his name to Yuval in honour of the Biblical forefather of musicians. In 1961 he graduated from Te
Yuval Waldman, Bridge-Building Violinist, Is Dead at 74
A conductor as well as a skilled soloist, he liked to spotlight music composed in times of oppression, including the Holocaust.
The violinist and conductor Yuval Waldman in 1977. Performing the music of composers who had been persecuted for their beliefs, he once said, was “not just a privilege but a calling.”Credit.Tyrone Dukes/The New York Times
Published Feb. 27, 2021Updated March 1, 2021
Yuval Waldman, an accomplished violinist and conductor with particular interests in building musical bridges between countries and rediscovering neglected works composed under oppressive circumstances, died on Feb. 1 in Brooklyn. He was 74.