Legendary Violinists back to intro
Ginette Neveu Ginette Neveu

Birth: August 11, 1919 in Paris, France

Death: October 28, 1949 in San Miguel, Azores Islands

Nationality: French

Occupation: violinist

career timeline:
1930s-1940s

Neveu, Ginette, brilliant French violinist; b. Paris, Aug. 11, 1919; d. in an airplane crash in San Miguel, Azores Islands, Oct. 28, 1949.

She was a grandniece of Charles-Marie Widor. She studied with her mother, making her debut when she was seven as soloist with the Colonne Orchestra in Paris; after further studies at the Conservatory there, she won the premier prix at age 11; then completed her training with Enesco and Flesch. She won the Wieniawski Competition (1935), and then embarked on an acclaimed career as a virtuoso, touring Poland and Germany that same year, the Soviet Union (1936), and the U.S. and Canada (1937). After the close of World War II, she made her London debut (1945); then appeared in South America, Boston, and N.Y. (1947). Her tragic death occurred on a flight to the U.S. for a concert tour; her brother, Jean-Paul, a talented pianist and her accompanist, also lost his life. Her performances were notable for their controlled and yet impassioned intensity, ably supported by a phenomenal technique.

Further Readings
Bibliography
M.-J. Ronze-Neveu, G. N.: LA FULGURANTE CARRIÈRE D'UNE GRANDE ARTISTE (Paris, 1952; Eng. tr., London, 1957).

Source: "Ginette Neveu." BAKER'S BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF MUSICIANS®, Centennial Edition. Nicolas Slonimsky, Editor Emeritus. Schirmer, 2001. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group.

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