Julian Hillel Kreeger

Julian Hillel Kreeger passed away on November 22, 2024, at the age of 84, surrounded by family and friends.

Julian was born in New York City in 1940, the son of Hannah and Abraham Kreeger. After graduating from Yeshiva High School, he went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Columbia College in 1961. At Columbia, he played on the freshman basketball team before turning his attention to his passion for classical music. He became the classical music director for WKCR, Columbia’s student radio station. While at Columbia, he landed an interview with famed pianist Arthur Rubinstein on WKCR, which opened the door to meeting many of the top musicians of the time and paved the way for a lifetime of involvement in classical music.

After graduating from Columbia, Julian chose to attend the University of Miami School of Law in lieu of attending Columbia Law School so that he could be closer to his father, who had fallen ill while on a family vacation in South Florida. At the University of Miami, Julian met his future wife, Judith (Judy). They earned their law degrees in 1966, wed while studying for the bar exam, and remained married until his passing 58 years later. His professional accomplishments in the legal world are too numerous to list. His legal clients included large New York banks, international entertainment conglomerates, musicians, athletes, and many others who needed a relentless advocate to help them through a crisis. He taught Arts and Entertainment law as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, and was active in various bar activities including the Florida Bar media law section. He and Judy delighted in hosting dinner parties at their home with guests that included political leaders, judges, lawyers, journalists, academics, musicians, writers and other community leaders. And for years, he regularly contributed op ed articles to the Miami Herald covering a wide range of subjects.

He was perhaps proudest of the legacy he left in the world of classical music. He amassed a collection of more than 27,000 records and 17,000 compact discs. Visiting his collection at the Kreeger home in Miami Beach was a rite of passage for musicians from around the world who traveled to Miami from the early 1970s through the 2000s. Guests at his home included famed musicians Martha Argerich, Claudio Arrau, Emanuel Ax, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Jorge Bolet, Yefim Bronfman, John Corigliano, Arthur Fiedler, James Galway, Dame Ida Haendel, James Judd, Bobby McFerrin, Itzhak Perlman and Earl Wild, to name just a few. When he donated the record collection to Florida International University in 2011, it was widely considered to be one of the largest and most significant private music collections in the world.

His record collection was the inspiration for his long-running weekly radio show on South Florida’s classical music radio station, WTMI. The show was aptly titled “Collector’s Gallery” and featured noteworthy performances from his record collection. In 1979, he co-founded Audiofon Records with his friend and world renowned recording engineer Peter McGrath. Audiofon released over 40 records and compact discs with artists that included David Bar-Illan, the Cleveland Octet, William De Rosa, Sixten Ehrling, Nelson Freire, Joseph Kalichstein, Sir Neville Marriner, Aaron Rosand, Leonard Shure, Earl Wild, and the University of Miami’s own Ivan Davis. In 1985, he became the Executive Director of the Friends of Chamber Music concert series in Coral Gables. Over the course of nearly 40 years as the head of that series, he was able to attract musicians including the Beaux Arts Trio, James Ehnes, Emerson String Quartet, Benjamin Grosvenor, Guarneri String Quartet, Sir Stephen Hough, Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, Tashi, Tokyo String Quartet, and many others.

Julian documented much of this journey from behind the lens of one of his ever present Leica cameras. His photo albums include pictures of famous musicians feeding dolphins and orcas on behind-the-scenes tours that he arranged at the Miami Seaquarium, gatherings at his home, street performers in New York City, famous buildings, concerts, sporting events, and his family. He was particularly adept at capturing the personalities and mannerisms of his subjects in candid portraits. Several of his photos became album covers for recordings, his portrait of Shura Cherkassky was selected to hang in Steinway Hall in New York, and numerous others found their way into galleries in South Florida.

Julian was also an avid collector of fountain pens and a contributing writer to Pen World magazine. For nearly a decade, he combined his vast knowledge of pens, nibs and ink with his experience as an interviewer to write articles on famous past and present figures and their writing habits. He took great delight whenever he met another fountain pen enthusiast, and he would happily pull out pens to give an impromptu demonstration for anyone who was interested. Long after the world became digital, Julian continued to write to his friends with pen and paper. He carefully chose the paper, inks and pen nibs for the occasion of each letter, and kept hundreds of letters from his friends.

Julian is survived by his wife Judy, their children Abram, David and Daniel, and their grandchildren Ilana, Addison and Andy.

Services will be held on Sunday, December 1 at 1:00pm at Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapel at 5900 SW 77th Avenue, Miami, FL 33143.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Friends of Chamber Music of Miami through mail to 12800 SW 104 Terrace, Miami, Florida 33186.