Ralph Kirshbaum

Ralph Henry Kirshbaum (born March 4, 1946) is an American cellist. During his career he has performed as soloist with major orchestras worldwide, won prizes in several international competitions, and recorded extensively.

Early life and education

Kirshbaum was born in Denton, Texas, and raised in Tyler. His father, Joseph Kirshbaum (1911–1996), was a professional violinist, composer, conductor, music educator, and an alumnus of Yale University, where he had also taught. From 1944 to 1947, Joseph Kirshbaum was on the faculty of University of North Texas College of Music, where he also conducted its symphony orchestra. Prior to joining the North Texas faculty, Joseph Kirshbaum had directed the Messiah Festival Orchestra in Lindsborg, Kansas and the string orchestra of the Oberlin Conservatory. He also taught in the string department of Cornell University. For 25 years, Joseph Kirshbaum was a celebrated conductor of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, which he had founded. Ralph Kirshbaum's mother, Gertrude Morris Kirshbaum (1912–1973), was a harpist and taught at Texas Woman's University.

Kirshbaum started cello lessons with his father at the age of six. At eleven, he continued lessons with Roberta Guastafeste ''(née'' Harrison), who was on the music faculty at Southern Methodist University. At fourteen years old, he began studying with Lev Aronson, who was then the principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He won numerous awards as a student and appeared as a soloist with the Dallas Symphony at age fifteen.

Kirshbaum continued his education at the Yale University’s School of Music, where he studied with Aldo Parisot. He graduated Yale magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with highest departmental honors. In 1968 he earned a Fulbright fellowship, but Selective Service registration issues prevented him from using it.

Career

Kirshbaum attracted international attention when he won prizes in the 1969 International Gaspar Cassadó Competition in Florence, and subsequently in the 1970 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He made his London debut recital at Wigmore Hall in 1970, his professional orchestral debut with the New Philharmonia Orchestra in 1972, and his New York debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1976.

In his career, Kirshbaum has appeared as soloist with many of the world's major orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and many others. He has also performed with distinguished conductors such as Christoph von Dohnányi, Sir Colin Davis, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, and Sir Georg Solti.

As a chamber musician, Kirshbaum has collaborated with Yefim Bronfman, Peter Frankl, the Juilliard String Quartet, Garrick Ohlsson, György Pauk, Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham, the Tokyo String Quartet and Pinchas Zukerman among many others. In particular, his longtime piano trio collaboration with Frankl and Pauk has generated a large number of concerts and recordings. The BBC
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