Russian Violinist Mark Lubotsky has Died, Age 89

The Russian violinist passed away in Hamburg, Germany due to an undisclosed cause

Lubotsky earned critical acclaim in the year 1951 when he was a prize winner of the World Youth Festival in Berlin at the age of 20.

After moving to Holland in 1976, he was approached by Benjamin Britten after hearing the violinist perform his violin concerto. Mr. Lubotsky was asked to perform it with the English Chamber Orchestra, with Britten as the conductor.

Lubotsky also worked with several conductors such as Eugene Ormandy, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Evgeny Svetlanov, to name a few.

He was a dedicated fan of contemporary music, and eventually befriended Alfred Schnittke and premiered his violin concerto. Later in his life, he devoted much of his time to learning the works of Arvo Pärt.

He taught at the Moscow Gnessin Institute and eventually the Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Hamburg Conservatories.

We offer our condolences to Mr. Lubotsky's family, friends, colleagues, and students.