Curtis Mourns the Loss of Norman Carol (Violin '47)

Curtis mourns the loss of Norman Carol (Violin ’47), former longtime Curtis faculty member and former concertmaster for the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1966–94, who passed away in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, on April 28, 2024, at age 95. Born on July 1, 1928, in Philadelphia to Russian immigrants Anna and Max Carol, he began his violin studies at age six with Sascha Jacobinoff, following in the footsteps of his older sister, who also played the instrument. At age nine, he performed his first concert, and at thirteen, he was invited to attend Curtis, where he studied under the tutelage of Efrem Zimbalist. From 1946–47, he served as the concertmaster of the student orchestra at Tanglewood. 

Shortly after graduating from Curtis, Mr. Carol made his Town Hall debut, was featured in Time magazine, embarked upon a solo career, recorded a solo recital for RCA in 1954, was a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra under conductors Serge Koussevitzsky and Charles Munch.

Drafted by the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he served at the Presidio in San Francisco alongside musical luminaries Chet Baker and André Previn in the 6th Army Band, playing solo for Arthur Fiedler and the San Francisco Pops. During this time, he met his future wife, Elinor, whom he married in 1952.

Following his discharge from the Army in 1955, he became concertmaster of the New Orleans Symphony and, subsequently, the Minneapolis Symphony, where he premiered Polish-American conductor and composer Stanisław Skrowaczewski’s Violin Concerto. In 1965, he joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as concertmaster, where he served for almost three decades until a lingering rotator cuff injury subsequently ended his career in 1994 at age 66. Mr. Carol famously traveled with the orchestra to China in 1973, at the arrangement of then President Richard Nixon, to perform and conduct master classes in front of Jian Qing, also known as Madame Mao.

After he retired from the orchestra, he taught, performed, and recorded with the Philadelphia Piano Quartet, and taught orchestral repertoire at Curtis from 1979 to 2014. His prized instrument was violinist Albert Spalding’s Guiarnerius ‘del Gesu’ violin, constructed in 1743.

The Curtis community extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to Mr. Carol’s family, friends, former students, and colleagues.

Photos credits: 1.) Concertmaster Norman Carol conducting a master class in Beijing, China, in 1973, with members of Central Philharmonic; “Beethoven in Beijing,” History Making Productions / PBS. 2.) Portrait of Mr. Carol courtesy of marceltabuteau.com. 3.) Image of Curtis students in front of the school, circa 1946. Mr. Carol is in the bottom left corner, courtesy of the Curtis Archives. 4.) Norman Carol with friends Allison Nelson (’49) and Anita Esgandarian (’49), courtesy of the Curtis Archives. 5.) Photo of Mr. Carol at Curtis; courtesy of the Curtis Archives. 6.) Norman Carol in concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra playing  Stanislaw Skrowaczewski ‘s Violin Concerto, courtesy of Wikipedia. 7.) Portrait of Mr. Carol; “Violinistic Training–A Concermaster’s View,” American String Teacher, Violin Forum; Volume 36, Issue 3; Diana Steiner.