Biography
Alberto Lysy, an Argentinian violinist celebrated for the richness and projection of his tone along with his deeply expressive approach to music, earned equal respect as a teacher and as the founder of the International Menuhin Music Academy. Born in Buenos Aires during 1935, he took up the violin at the age of five under his father’s initial guidance. Around 1948 he left school to devote greater attention to the instrument and commenced lessons with Ljerko Spiller. In 1952 the seventeen-year-old journeyed to London to enroll at the Silver School, sustaining himself through street performances beneath a bridge close to the Royal National Theatre. He became the first South American recipient of an award at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in 1955. Yehudi Menuhin served on the jury, and after Lysy expressed his desire to study with the renowned violinist, Menuhin took him on as his sole pupil, prompting Lysy to relocate to Gstaad, Switzerland. The pair delivered the world premiere of Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto for two violins in 1962 and continued joint appearances into the middle of the decade. Lysy established the Camerata Bariloche chamber ensemble in 1965, leading its inaugural concert two years afterward. He formed the Camerata Lysy chamber ensemble in 1971 specifically for his advanced pupils. He guided both ensembles on extensive international tours, collaborating with distinguished conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Adrian Boult, and Colin Davis. To honor his mentor and friend, he inaugurated the International Menuhin Music Academy in 1977. Through the 1980s he maintained an active schedule of conducting and touring with his chamber groups. Lysy participated in recordings alongside Sandor Végh, Luisa Majone, and Aquiles Delle-Vigne. In 2001 he recorded Kodaly’s Duo for Violin and Cello together with his son, the cellist Antonio Lysy. For his contributions to the IMMA he received the Stradivari International Pedagogical Prize in 2006. He stepped down from his activities the next year and died in Lausanne, Switzerland, on December 30, 2009.
Albums
