Violin Lessons in Scranton & Stroudsburg
Scranton & Stroudsburg Violin Lessons
Do you know what Glenn Dicterow and Valenches Music Company violin teacher Fritz Valenches have in common?
You might have a hard time guessing if you’re not quite familiar with the name Glenn Dicterow but not to worry — we’ll fill you in.
Who is Glenn Dicterow?
In short, Glenn Dicterow is the immensely accomplished concert violinist who holds the concertmaster position in the world renowned New York Philharmonic. He’s got thousands of concerts under his belt and an apparent ironclad nervous system as he handles the responsibilities of the “hot seat” with the coolness of a cucumber. When it comes to violin playing, he’s undoubtedly at the top of his game, but even more admirable are the countless hours he’s dedicated to mastering his art.
Concertmaster
In an orchestra, the concertmaster is the very first violinist sitting to the left of the orchestra’s conductor. However, being a concertmaster is not merely a matter of seating arrangements. Yes, the holder of this position is an essential leader to the orchestra, but they’re musically brilliant as well. A concertmaster is, as the title implies, a “master” of the violin, playing with both technical virtuosity, impeccable tone, and haunting expression. Required to perform with 100% precision, 100% of the time, this is no lightweight position.
With that said, if you hold the concertmaster title in arguably the world’s finest professional orchestra, you are one darn good violinist — and that’s an understatement.
Master Teachers – Brilliant Violinists
So, how did Glenn Dicterow rise to the position of New York Philharmonic Concertmaster?
Talent? Yes. Practice? Lots of it.
But that much practice only creates greatness when there’s a top notch pedagogue to go with it.
ENTER: Ivan Galamian – teacher extraordinaire
Ivan Galamian
The late Ivan Galamian was a highly acclaimed violin pedagogue of both Juilliard and Curtis Institute fame. He was the premier violin teacher of his time boasting a list of students that includes Itzhak Perlman, Ruggiero Ricci, Sally Thomas, NEPA Philharmonic Concertmaster Erica Kiesewetter, William Barbini (former NY Philharmonic member/Valenches family teacher & friend), Glenn Dicterow and…
our very own Fritz Valenches.
This is not to say that Ivan Galamian was solely responsible for the success of each of these violinists — Mr. Galamian only accepted students of prodigy status — but he obviously had a knack for producing virtuosity.
It takes a highly skilled, expert teacher to make a highly skilled, expert player. It’s no coincidence that Ivan Galamian was able to produce virtuoso violinists, not once, but repeatedly. When it came to violin mastery, Mr. Galamian had not only all the tricks, but all the tricks behind executing the tricks.
Common Ground
So, what do New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and the Valenches Music Company’s Fritz Valenches have in common?
THEY BOTH STUDIED THE VIOLIN WITH IVAN GALAMIAN!
Expert Violin Lessons in Scranton & Stroudsburg
Not every violin student has professional playing on their goal list, but there’s a good chance that violin playing, in some form, will be. No matter what the desired outcome, there are endless benefits to studying the violin with a teacher who is not limited by what they can play or teach.
At the Valenches Music Company, we’ve got our secret weapon, Fritz Valenches to bring the tricks of the great Ivan Galamian right here to Scranton and Stroudsburg, PA. Not only can Fritz play anything, and we mean ANYTHING, on the violin, he can teach you to do the same.
If you want to start the violin with a solid foundation, or you want solid violin playing, period, contact the Valenches Music Company today.
We gladly welcome violin students of all ages and levels at both our Scranton and Stroudsburg locations.
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