GELBRUN  Artur

Biography

Artur Gelbrun, born in Warsaw on July 11, 1913 was a graduate of the Warsaw Conservatory in violin and conducting. He furthered his studies at the Accademia Santa Cecilia in Rome under Bernardino Molinari, Accademia Chigiana in Siena under Alfredo Casella and later in Switzerland with Hermann Scherchen (conducting) and with Willy Burkhardt (composition). He was winner at the International Competition in Geneva for violin and chamber music. Gelbrun played the violin and viola with the Warsaw PO (1935-37), Radio Lausanne (1941-44) and with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra (1944-48). After emigrating to Israel in 1949, Gelbrun devoted his time to composition, conducting and teaching. He was permanent guest conductor with the RSO (Kol Israel SO) in Jerusalem (1949-53), chief conductor of the Israel Youth SO (1950-56) and of the Kibbutz ChO (1950-55). In 1955 he was appointed professor of composition and conducting at the Rubin Academy of Music, Tel Aviv University. Among the awards made to him is the Israeli Broadcast Prize, 1973. Artur Gelbrun died in Tel Aviv on December 23, 1985.