Sherban Lupu

Associate Professor of Violin
on leave fall 2009

Bucharest Conservatory (student of George Manoliu); Guildhall School of Music (student of Yfrah Neaman, lessons and master classes with Yehudi Menuhin, Henryk Szeryng, Nathan Milstein, Norbert Brainin, and Sandor Végh); Indiana University (student of Josef Gingold)

Romanian-born Sherban Lupu began playing the violin at age seven. While at the Bucharest Conservatory, he performed throughout Eastern Europe and on Romanian radio and television. Professor Lupu left Romania to study in London at the Guildhall School of Music and took lessons and master classes with such legendary violinists as Yehudi Menuhin, Henryk Szering, and Norbert Brainin of the Amadeus String Quartet. In 1976, Professor Lupu came to the United States to study with Dorothy DeLay and Josef Gingold and receive chamber music coaching from Manahem Pressler. Professor Lupu has won prizes in numerous competitions, including the Vienna International, Romanian National String Quartet, and Jacques Thibaud in Paris. He also is the founder and artistic advisor of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and artistic director of the Gubbio Festival in Italy. One of the world's leading performers of George Enescu's music, Professor Lupu is a member of the George Enescu Chamber Players and founded the Enescu Ensemble at the University of Illinois. In collaboration with the composer Cornel Taranu, Professor Lupu finished and reconstructed the Caprice Roumain for violin and orchestra by Enescu. That work is included in the recent recording of all Enescu’s music for violin, which Professor Lupu made in collaboration with Valentin Gheorghe and the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra. Professor Lupu has performed as a soloist worldwide, including at The Kennedy Center, Gstaad Festival, and Carnegie Hall, where in 1998 he performed Enescu's Third Violin Sonata in a concert he organized in honor of the President of Romania. Professor Lupu is a frequent member of international juries and has taught violin in many countries, including England, Germany and Italy. In 2000, Professor Lupu received a lifetime achievement award from the Romanian Cultural Foundation for his efforts to promote Romanian culture and music internationally, as well as the FLACARA prize for music. In 2002, Professor Lupu received the prestigious Arnold Beckman Award from the Research Board of the University of Illinois to record the complete works for violin and piano by Béla Bartók. He also was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Academy of Music “G. Dima” from Cluj (Romania).

I firmly believe in building a solid technical foundation for my students. That in turn will give them the freedom to concentrate on the music and its interpretation as they mature. In order to accomplish this I put great emphasis on scale work and études. In addition to improving the intonation and the sound of the young violinist, this work develops the much-needed discipline essential for any aspiring young artist. I dedicate my teaching to helping the student to journey towards the musical truth and the spiritual essence of the message it contains. I am convinced that music makes us better human beings and consequently we have the duty to serve it and thus to make this world a better place. As the student advances in the study program I aim to teach different styles and periods of music as reflected in the violin repertoire. I greatly encourage personal growth and creativity, which is the stamp of each individual. An important tool of my teaching is the weekly master class where we discuss various aspects of violin playing, musical matters and, above all, I give the students the opportunity to perform. My ultimate goal is to prepare students to become successful contributors in the musical world whether as a performer or a teacher.