Collection: ROMAN TOTENBERG: THE MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETY RECORDINGS

Roman Totenberg was a celebrated Polish-American violinist and esteemed pedagogue whose performing and teaching career spanned nearly the entire 20th century and into the 21st. Born in Łódź, Poland, he was a child prodigy, making his debut with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra at age eleven. He further honed his craft under the tutelage of renowned teachers like Mieczysław Michałowicz in Warsaw and the legendary Carl Flesch in Berlin.

Fleeing the rise of Nazism, Totenberg emigrated to the United States in 1938, quickly establishing himself as a major figure on the international concert stage. He performed as a soloist with virtually every major orchestra in the US, Europe, and South America, collaborating with iconic conductors such as Stokowski, Koussevitzky, Szell, and Bernstein. His repertoire was vast, encompassing classical masterworks alongside a strong commitment to contemporary music; he gave the American premiere of Darius Milhaud's Violin Concerto No. 2 and premiered works by Hindemith, Barber, Martinů, and others.

Beyond his virtuosic performing career, Totenberg was a deeply influential teacher. He served as Director of the String Department at Boston University's School of Music from 1961 to 1978 and continued teaching well into his nineties at institutions like the Longy School of Music. He shaped generations of musicians with his demanding yet inspiring approach.

Totenberg gained further renown posthumously when his beloved "Ames" Stradivarius violin, stolen from his office in 1980, was miraculously recovered in 2015. Dying at the age of 101, Roman Totenberg left a rich legacy as a brilliant performer, a dedicated champion of new music, and a profoundly impactful educator.