Oliveira, Elmar
Oliveira, Elmar
Oliveira, Elmar, talented American violinist; b. Waterbury, Conn., June 28, 1950. He studied violin with Raphael Bronstein on a scholarship at the Hartt Coll. of Music in Hartford, Conn, and later at the Manhattan School of Music in N.Y. He made his formal debut as a soloist with the Hartford (Conn.) Sym. Orch. (1964); appeared with Bernstein at a N.Y. Phil. Young People’s Concert (1966), which was telecast to the nation; made his N.Y. recital debut at Town Hall (1973). After winning the Naumburg Award in 1975, he became the first American violinist to capture the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1978); thereafter he pursued a rewarding international career. In 1990 he joined the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music in N.Y. His enormous repertoire ranges from the standard literature to contemporary works.
—Nicolas Slominsky/Laura Kaun/Dennis McIntire