Irwin Eisenberg
{{Short description|American violinist and violin teacher}}
File:Irwin "Irv" Eisenberg.jpg
Irwin Eisenberg (1919-July 3, 2014) was an American violinist and string quartet player. He was a member of the Philadelphia String Quartet.
Life and career
Eisenberg was a member of the St. Louis Symphony, and founded the St. Louis String Quartet. After several seasons with the symphony, Eisenberg joined the Philadelphia Orchestra.{{Cite web |title=Philadelphia Orchestra Association records (personnel files) - Philadelphia Area Archives |url=https://findingaids.library.upenn.edu/records/UPENN_RBML_PUSP.MS.COLL.1479.2 |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=findingaids.library.upenn.edu}} (See Box 183, Folder 38) There, he served as the assistant principal second violinist. Eastman School of Music lists him as an alumnus who was in the Philadelphia Orchestra.{{Cite web |title=THE EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC 1947-1962 |url=https://www.facilities.rochester.edu/history/ESM/1963ESM.pdf |website=www.facilities.rochester.edu}} Eisenberg was part of the String Art Quartet.{{Cite web |title=National Gallery of Art Washington, D. C. Ninth AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL |url=https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/gallery-archives/concertprograms/1950-1960/1951-1952/15A4_69122_19520406-19520427.pdf |website=www.nga.gov}}
In 1960, he co-founded the Philadelphia String Quartet, with whom he was the second violinist. The other members were Veda Reynolds, first violinist; Alan Iglitzin, violist and Charles Brennand, cellist. While the members were still playing with the Philadelphia Orchestra, they worked as a quartet, culminating in a six-concert Carnegie Hall debut.{{Cite web |title=About: String Quartet No. 1, BB 52 |url=https://data.carnegiehall.org/events/12723/work_03/about |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=data.carnegiehall.org}}{{Cite web |title=PHILADELPHIA STRING QUARTET {{!}} THE NORTHWEST MUSIC ARCHIVES |url=https://nwmusicarchives.com/artist/philadelphia-string-quartet/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=nwmusicarchives.com}}
In 1966, Irv, as he was known to colleagues, and the quartet departed the Philadelphia Orchestra.{{Cite web |title=Eugene Ormandy papers - Philadelphia Area Archives |url=https://findingaids.library.upenn.edu/records/UPENN_RBML_PUSP.MS.COLL.91 |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=findingaids.library.upenn.edu}} They became quartet-in-residence at the University of Washington in Seattle. Time Magazine published an article on their departure on Oct.7, 1966{{Cite magazine |last=TIME |date=1966-10-07 |title=Orchestras: Flying the Coop |url=https://time.com/archive/6889562/orchestras-flying-the-coop/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |magazine=TIME |language=en}} Over their 17-year residency, the quartet performed extensively at the University of Washington.{{Cite web |title=UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON School of Music and the Office of Lectures and Concerts presents The Philadelphia String Quartet |url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/8048e96b-ba3f-43bf-b786-2e669d337f52/content |website=digital.lib.washington.edu}}{{Cite web |title=Nov.1 1974 PSQ Program.pdf |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xXoS5jb5sIQnqaozYPzkVGi08YQnGNmw/view |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=Google Docs}}{{Cite web |title=Oct 10 1980 PSQ Program.pdf |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NxMFAtaUw97qU_REAuT9QOuZTm0kz5sT/view |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=Google Docs}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGEtXmOiRNI |title=Dvorak Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 |date=2023-12-11 |last=Robert Merfeld |access-date=2025-01-17 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite web |title=PHILADELPHIA STRING QUARTET |url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/69e9d96c-c07e-4e6f-bfe5-83bd446431f6/content |website=digital.lib.washington.edu}}
They made tours of South America, Europe{{Cite web |title=Konzerte |url=https://kammermusik.org/ensemble.asp?ensemble=philadelphia+string+quartet&lang=EN |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=www.kammermusik.org}} and the United States.{{Cite web |date=1976-09-07 |title=Philadelphia, Tokyo and Guarneri string quartets to perform |url=https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb74416130/_2.pdf |website=library.ucsd.edu}} In 1968, the US State Department invited the Philadelphia String Quartet to become the first American string quartet to perform in India.{{Cite web |title=The Philadelphia String Quartet - Veda Reynolds and Irwin Eisenberg, violins / Albert Iglitzin, viola / Charles Brennand, cello (2 concerts) |url=https://poonamusic.com/events/the-philadelphia-string-quartet-veda-reynolds-and-irwin-eisenberg-violins-albert-iglitzin-viola-charles-brennand-cello-2-concerts/ |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=The Poona Music Society |language=en-US}} Eisenberg was a champion of living composers and the quartet performed many new works and premiers.{{Cite web |title=DRAM: Irwin Eisenberg |url=https://www.dramonline.org/performers/eisenbergm-irwin |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=www.dramonline.org}}{{Cite web |title=THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND THE OFFICE OF LECTURES AND CONCERTS present The Music of John Verrall |url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/16bf5db2-dc0c-4a21-9f47-9e5a97cd2c13/content |website=digital.lib.washington.edu}} Irv and the quartet also performed as part of the UW Contemporary Group which played all new music.{{Cite web |title=THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND THE OFFICE OF LECTURES AID CONCERTS Present THE CONTEMPORARY GROUP |url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/5ca5c0d8-75da-46de-a465-b216674f2b59/content |website=digital.lib.washington.edu}} With the Philadelphia String Quartet, he recorded music of American composers, including George Rochberg and Paul Chihara.{{Cite web |title=DRAM: Irwin Eisenberg |url=https://www.dramonline.org/performers/eisenbergm-irwin |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=www.dramonline.org}}
He also performed as a substitute player with the Seattle Symphony and as a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra.{{Cite web |last=Punt |first=Rodney |title=Nutcracker is Evergreen for Pacific NW Ballet Musicians |url=https://www.laopus.com/2016/11/nutcracker-is-evergreen-for-pacific-nw.html |access-date=2024-11-09}}
Irv commissioned new works, including a solo violin piece by long-time colleague at the University of Washington music department, composer Robert Suderberg.{{cite web | url=https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/30265 | title=Solo music for violin. Comissioned by Irwin Eisenberg. 1. Towards variation, 2. Towards song, 3. Towards dance, 4. Closing, alone, 1969 | }} He also performed as a guest violinist with other ensembles.{{Cite web |title=UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON The School of Music and the Office of Lectures and Concerts present VICTOR STEINHARDT, Piano |url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/6a4b58d4-5cf0-4fcb-b048-33d87be780af/content |website=digital.lib.washington.edu}}
Teaching career
Eisenberg taught private violin pupils since 1938. In 2004, he was named "Teacher of the Year" by the Washington division of the American String Teacher .{{Cite web |title=Arts briefs: Violinist Irv Eisenberg named teacher of the year {{!}} The Seattle Times |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20040302/briefs02/arts-briefs-violinist-irv-eisenberg-named-teacher-of-the-year |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=archive.seattletimes.com}}
Early life and personal life
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Irwin began his violin studies with Scipione Guidi, who was concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony. Eisenberg attended the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Gustave Tinlot. Subsequently Eisenberg went to New York to study with Raphael Bronstein.
Eisenberg was married to Shilah Portnoy, with whom he had two sons. In 1986, Irv married the artist Teresa Malinowski. Irv's sons are David of San Francisco, and Don. who works with his holiness, the Dalai Lama, in Dharamsala, India.{{Cite web |last=Jolliffe |first=Michael |date=2016-11-01 |title=Strasbourg, France Hosts His Holiness the Dalai Lama |url=https://fpmt.org/in-depth-stories/strasbourg-france-hosts-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=FPMT |language=en-US}} When the Dalai Lama came to visit Seattle, Irv and family hosted him at the Eisenberg home.