Mischa Mischakoff
Mischa Mischakoff (Ukrainian: Міша Мішаков; April 16, 1895 – February 1, 1981) was an outstanding violinist who, as a concertmaster, led many of America's greatest orchestras from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Mischakoff was born in Proskuriv (today Khlmelnytskyi), Ukraine as Mischa Fishberg. In 1921 he escaped from Russia with, among others, his friend and colleague, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, with whom he had played in the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Mischakoff emigrated to the United States later that year, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1927.[1]
He led the string sections of the St. Petersburg Conservatory Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, then, after his arrival in the United States, the New York Symphony under Walter Damrosch (1924–1927), the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski (1927–1930), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Frederick Stock (1930–1937), the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini (1937–1952), the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Paul Paray (1952–1968), as well as, in retirement, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Mischa Mischakoff also led the Mischakoff String Quartet in the various cities where he lived, and between 1940 and 1952 he taught at the Juilliard School in New York. He then taught at Wayne State University in Detroit between 1952 and about 1980.[2]
Mischakoff died on February 1, 1981, in Petoskey, Michigan.[3] He owned four Stradivari violins, on which he appeared as soloist and recitalist, as well as a number of other fine violins by old and contemporary makers.
Acclaim and criticism
In 1951, Joseph Wechsberg wrote in Holiday Magazine that for a mythical dream orchestra composed of America's major orchestral leaders, Mischakoff would be the pick among concertmasters for head of first violins.[4]
Private life
Mischakoff was survived by his wife, Hortense, their two sons, Paul and Matthew and their daughter, Anne Mischakoff Heiles.[3] Anne played in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with her father. She later wrote his biography, published in 2006.[1]
Notes
The biography of Mischa Mischakoff does not include his long association as concertmaster of the Chautauqua Symphony at Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua NY. There, Mischakoff also led the Mischakoff String Quartet which gave weekly recitals during the summer season.
References
- ^ a b Heiles, Anne Mischakoff (2006). Mischa Mischakoff: Journeys of a Concertmaster. Sterling Heights, Mich.: Harmonie Park Press. ISBN 0-89990-131-X.
- ^ Stevenson, Joseph. "Mischa Mischakoff: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Obituary: Mischa Mischakoff". New York Times. February 3, 1981. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ Wechsberg, J. Holiday's Dream Orchestra, Vol. 9 (3), p. 62 (1951)
- Articles with short description
- Short description matches Wikidata
- Articles with FAST identifiers
- Articles with ISNI identifiers
- Articles with VIAF identifiers
- Articles with WorldCat Entities identifiers
- Articles with BNF identifiers
- Articles with BNFdata identifiers
- Articles with GND identifiers
- Articles with J9U identifiers
- Articles with LCCN identifiers
- Articles with NTA identifiers
- Articles with PLWABN identifiers
- Articles with MusicBrainz identifiers
- Articles with Trove identifiers
- Articles with SNAC-ID identifiers
- 1895 births
- 1981 deaths
- Musicians from Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine
- People from Proskurovsky Uyezd
- Ukrainian Jews
- 20th-century Ukrainian musicians
- Jewish classical musicians
- American male classical violinists
- Ukrainian classical violinists
- Concertmasters
- Concertmasters of the Philadelphia Orchestra
- Former Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra
- Juilliard School faculty
- American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Soviet emigrants to the United States
- Ukrainian emigrants to the United States
- 20th-century American classical violinists