OBITUARIES

COOSJE WIJZENBEEK

Dutch violinist and pedagogue Coosje Wijzenbeek has died at the age of 72. She was celebrated in the Netherlands and around the world for her work with young violinists, many of whom went on to prominent international careers.

Wijzenbeek was born to a musical family in Hilversum, the Netherlands, on 18 April 1948. She studied first with Frits Knol in Utrecht and then in Amsterdam with Davina van Wely, a former assistant to Oskar Back. After graduation Wijzenbeek made several recordings with early music group Studio Laren and joined the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra but left after a year, later describing herself as ‘not compliant enough’ for orchestral life.

She soon turned to teaching and was appointed to positions at conservatoires in Amsterdam and The Hague. But it was with Fancy Fiddlers, an orchestra for young string players, that Wijzenbeek was most closely associated. The group was established in 1984 to provide tuition and ensemble playing experience for violinists and cellists aged 6 to 19, who would come for weekly lessons at Wijzenbeek’s home in Hilversum. She also taught at the Sweelinck Academy.

Later in her career, Wijzenbeek also gave masterclasses, served on competition juries and taught at the Liechtenstein International Music Academy. ’My philosophy of teaching is quite simple: consider the individual player in terms of capacity and musical needs, and grow from there,’ she told The Strad in 2012. ’If you are faithful to that approach everything seems to fall into place, whether you are dealing with the greatest talent or an average student.’

LAURENT VERNEY

French violist Laurent Verney, who was first solo violist of the Paris Opera for more than 35 years, died on 5 April after being involved in a Paris road accident some days earlier. He was 61.

Verney was born in Clérieux, Rhone- Alpes and studied viola with Serge Collot and Bruno Pasquier at the Paris Conservatoire. Shortly afterwards, the 25-year-old was appointed first solo violist of the Paris Opera orchestra, a position he held until his death.

Verney joined the faculty of the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional (CRR) in 1986 and appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France and the Orchestre national du capitole de Toulouse. He was closely associated with the music of Wagner and for many years was solo violist of the Bayreuth Festival orchestra.

CRR director Xavier Delette said that Verney ‘carried within him a light that was nourished by art. He passed it on to his students while giving them all the skills and energy required to realise their passion in the professional world. We are in mourning.’

GERARD KANTARJIAN

Violinist Gerard Kantarjian has died at the age of 90.

For three years from 1967 to 1970 he was concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He later served in the same role at the Canadian Opera Company (1977–79) and the Chamber Players of Toronto (1982–89).

Kantarjian was born in 1931 to Armenian parents living in Cairo, where his first violin teacher was Adolph Menashes. He moved to Italy to study with Váša Příhoda before winning a scholarship aged 22 to join the class of Ivan Galamian at the Curtis Institute of Music. Alongside his work as a soloist, Kantarjian spent a season as concertmaster of the American Symphony Orchestra, before taking up the same position in Toronto.

As a chamber musician, Kantarjian spent 1973 to 1976 as a member of the Ararat Trio and in 1986 formed the Rembrandt Trio with pianist Valerie Tryon and the cellist Coenraad Bloemendal.

As an educator, Kantarjian joined the faculty of the Toronto Summer School of Music in 1977 and taught at the University of Toronto from 1984.

PHILIPPE DUPUY

French violin maker Philippe Dupuy died on 5 April at the age of 88. The grandson of Eugène Sartory, he was the author of an illustrated history of his grandfather’s life, which was published in 2019. Since his retirement in 2006 he had been living in Ardèche, in the south of France.

Born on 6 October 1932, Dupuy was the son of violin maker Georges Dupuy, a founder member of the International Association of Violin and Bow Makers (EILA). Aged 14 he travelled to Mirecourt to study violin making under Léon Mougenot. He then worked for a number of years for Walter Hamma in Stuttgart, Germany, before returning to his father’s workshop in the Rue de Rome, Paris. He became the master of the workshop in 1968 following Georges Dupuy’s death, and continued to run the business until his retirement almost 40 years later.

Dupuy was also an active member of EILA, as well as secretary of the Groupement des Luthiers et Archetiers d’Art de France (GLAAF) for many years. He was also involved in the project to create a national violin making school in Mirecourt, which opened its doors in 1970.

PETER SOKOLE

Violist Peter Sokole, who spent 3 7 years with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, has died from Covid-19 at the age of 76. Sokole was born in New York City and studied with Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Walter Trampler at the Juilliard School. He was appointed principal violist of the American Symphony Orchestra and held the position until he joined the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra.

Sokole joined the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1971 and became its assistant principal violist nine years later. After he retired from it in 2008 he founded Musica Reale, an organisation of current and former Concertgebouw players who performed chamber music at venues around the world.