Famous violinists that started late
While it’s generally thought that to become a professional violinist, you must start playing at a young age; this is not necessarily true. Many players do begin as children, but as the five professional violinists mentioned in this article have demonstrated, it’s not 100% absolutely necessary.
Kenneth Goldsmith. In my research, I couldn’t find an exact age that Mr. Goldsmith started the violin, but I knew him personally and remember him saying he started around the age of 16. By 19, he was the youngest member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Many of his teachers and collegues said that he would never last, especially studying with such an intense teacher like Mischa Mischakoff, but he was extremly dedicated to his craft. He went on to not only play in symphonies around the world but also teach at Rice University, one of the most prestigious music schools in the US.
Daniel Kurganov. Mr. Kurganov started playing the violin at 16, and went on to study at the Zurich University of the Arts with Rudolph Koleman. He now enjoys a diverse performing career and posts many helpful videos on his YouTube channel.
Mark O’Connor started at the age of 11. Mr. O’Connor is primarily a fiddle player, and in addition to teaching and performing has created his own method books. I have never used them personally but they are very highly regarded.
Ani Kavafian started at age 9 and went on to have a diverse performing career. She currently teaches at the Yale School of Music.
Elmer Oliviera also started at age 9 and by 16 was making his TV debut with Leanard Bernstein conducting. He currently teaches at the Lynn Conservatory in Florida.
