Robert Mann has been a driving force in the world of music for more than seventy years. As founder and first violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet, and as a soloist, composer, teacher, and conductor, Mr.Mann has brought a refreshing sense of adventure and discovery to chamber music performances, master classes, and orchestral performances worldwide. He is, in the words of Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe, “one of the country’s most admired and deeply loved musicians.” Born in Portland, Oregon in 1920, Robert Mann began studying violin when he was eight. He later moved to New York City to enroll in the Juilliard School, where he studied violin, composition, and conducting. In 1946, Mr. Mann founded the Juilliard String Quartet. As Juilliard’s first violinist for 51 years, he played approximately 5,500 concerts, featuring more than 500 works including some 100 premieres. Under Mr. Mann’s leadership, the Juilliard Quartet gave birth to and counseled generations of young string quartets, including the Alexander, American, Concord, Emerson, LaSalle, New World, Mendelssohn, Tokyo, Brentano, Lark, St. Lawrence, and Colorado string quartets.
“With his gifts for playing, teaching and for the art of chamber music, [Mr. Mann] provided the ultimate example of the searching, multi-talented complete musician who could both play and compose. My 11 years as his second violinist were the happiest musical years of my life.” – Joel Smirnoff
“His musical commitment and energy continue to inspire us; his influence on the musical community is a gift that can not be measured. When I think about the Beethoven quartets, I think about Robert Mann.” – Itzhak Perlman