Virtuoso Violinist Fredell Lack passed away on August 20, 2017 in her home in Houston, Texas at the age of 95. Ms. Lack was born in Tulsa, OK, began playing the violin at age 6 under the tutelage of Tosca Berger, a pupil of Ysaye, and gave her first recital at age eight. When her family moved to Houston, she studied with the Concertmaster of the Houston Symphony, Josephine Boudreaux, and made her debut as soloist-with-orchestra with the Tulsa Symphony at age 11. Ms. Lack's family arranged for her to live in New York City when she was 12 so that she could study with Louis Persinger, also a pupil of Ysaye, and at 17 she won a four-year scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music, where she continued to study with Persinger and, later, Ivan Galamian. At age 17 Fredell Lack made her solo professional debut with the St Louis Symphony. She garnered prizes in several American competitions and in 1951 received the bronze medallion "Prize of Liege" from Queen Elizabeth of Belgium at the International Violin Competition. Lack was the first Concertmaster of the Little Orchestra Society of New York; toured extensively throughout Europe in addition to tours in the U.S., Canada and Central America, playing with major orchestras such as the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, the Royal Philharmonic, and the BBC Symphony; and made many recordings, including the Mendelssohn Concerto Op. 64 with the New York Philharmonic. Ms. Lack's violin was the 1727 Baron Duerbrucq Stradivarius. After moving to Houston in 1951 with her husband, Dr. Ralph Eichhorn, she encouraged the development of music as a founder of Young Audiences and a pioneer of chamber music in the city, including formation of the Lyric Art Quartet. In 1959 she joined the faculty at the University of Houston School of Music, where she was Professor of Violin for 50 years and a recipient of the coveted Esther Farfel Award as the outstanding teacher at the University. Many of her students have gone on to prominent careers, including Frank Huang, the current Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic. The Fredell Lack Legacy Violin series, featuring performances by five of her outstanding students, will begin September 17, 2017 at the University of Houston Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. She is survived by her two children, Ardis Eichhorn of Houston, TX, and Dr. Eric Eichhorn of Dallas, TX; grandchildren Marco Rosenthal, David Eichhorn, Rachel Eichhorn, Tyler Calderon, Lauren Jenkins, Hannah Jenkins and Sarah Eichhorn, and great grandchildren Dylan, Siboney and Maya Rosenthal.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to University of Houston Katherine G. McGovern College of the Arts and Citizens for Animal Protection.
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