Igor Gruppman

Conductor

Violinist, conductor

Igor Gruppman is one of a rare breed of artist whose career successfully manifests itself in many artistic fields. Critically acclaimed for his richness and beauty of tone, elegant phrasing, drive, passion and virtuosity, Mr. Gruppman enjoys an exciting career as violin soloist, conductor, concertmaster and chamber musician.
As the Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and a frequent guest leader of such orchestras as the London Symphony Orchestra and London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Mr. Gruppman has collaborated with some of the most esteemed conductors of his generation including Solti, Gergiev, Rostropovich, Colin Davis, Simon Rattle and Bernard Haitink.
It is witnessing these artists at close hand that has allowed Gruppman to develop over the past several years a flourishing conducting career of his own. In the United States he holds the post of Principal Conductor of the Orchestra at Temple Square in Salt Lake City while also maintaining his activities as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Concerto Rotterdam chamber orchestra. His concerts with the Orchestra at Temple Square are broadcast regularly on cable television in the U.S. and abroad. In recent seasons some of the world's great artists have appeared with this orchestra including Renee Fleming, Bryn Terfel and Ida Haendel.
The 2006/07 season highlights included Gruppman's conducting debut with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in special Easter performances of The Last Seven Words by Hadyn and Gubaidulina in the Rotterdam Cathedral. He also appeared in a critically acclaimed all-Mozart program at De Doelen Great Hall in Rotterdam where in addition to conducting, Mr. Gruppman gave the Netherlands premiere of Mozart's recently reconstructed Concerto for Violin and Piano (Op. 315F) with pianist Ronald Brautigam. In March of 2007 Mr. Gruppman received glowing reviews for his performance of the Double Concerto by Brahms with the Rotterdam Philharmonic under the baton of Valery Gergiev.
In the 2007/08 season Mr. Gruppman made his conducting debut with the Marinsky Orchestra during the Easter Festival in Moscow. January will mark his debut as leader with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on a tour of Germany. In April Mr. Gruppman will make his conducting debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea with all Tchaikovsky program.
In 2008/09 season Mr. Gruppman returns to conduct the Seoul Philharmonic as well as the Mariinsky Orchestra in Mozart/Mendelssohn program. The same season marks Mr. Gruppman's debut with the Tokyo Philharmonic and the start of the new series of concert he will conduct with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
2007/08/09 seasons marks the release by Video Artist International of a series of DVDs featuring Mr. Gruppman as conductor, violin soloist and chamber musician in partnership with a variety of artists including his wife, prominent violinist/violist Vesna Stefanovic Gruppman and a frequent Duo partner. They have been heralded as "violin archangels" for their Koch recording of Malcolm Arnold's Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra which won its producer Michael Fine a Grammy in 1994. 2008 marks the long awaited release of the reconstructed original string version of the Brahms' F Minor Quintet recorded with the members of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
Igor Gruppman's violin solo recordings have met with enthusiastic reception by the international press: Berlioz' Reverie and Caprice (Naxos); Respighi's Poema Autunnale (Koch);Miklos Rosza's Sinfonia Concertante and the violin Concerto (Koch) ,which marks the first release of the concerto since the recording by Heifetz for whom this piece was written.

Igor Gruppman is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory where he studied with Leonid Kogan and Mstislav Rostropovich, followed by studies with Jasha Heifetz in Los Angeles. He has collaborated with such artists as Sviatoslav Richter, Yuri Bashmet, Natalia Gutman, Jaime Laredo and Lynn Harrell.
In 2002 Mr.and Mrs. Gruppman co-founded the Gruppman International Violin Institute to select, train and develop careers of exceptionally gifted violinists around the world using the latest videoconferencing technology.

Mr. Gruppman is on the faculty at the Rotterdam Conservatory.