Vesna and Igor Gruppman

At 15 years old, Igor and Vesna Gruppman met each other as musical rivals at the Central Special Music School in Moscow, Russia. Forty years later, they have taught on the music faculty of Brigham Young University, been co-concertmasters of the Orchestra at Temple Square, started the Gruppman International Violin Institute and recorded Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto for Two Violins with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra – which won a Grammy Award.  Igor Gruppman has been the Concertmaster of the San Diego Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra and Associate Conductor of the Florida Philharmonic, and is the current Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.  Vesna Gruppman is a professor of violin at the Rotterdam Conservatoire and an internationally acclaimed violin and viola soloist. Her first orchestra debut was with the Belgrade Chamber Orchestra at the age of eight, after which she won the National Violin Competition of Yugoslavia six times in a row.  Their accompanist, pianist Jayne Galloway, graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Piano Pedagogy and has played in master classes with Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway, and Joseph Silverstein.  Host Tim Slover interviews the Gruppmans, who share with us their cinematic love story, their passion for education, and their remarkable musical talents.  Repertoire: GLUCK Dance of the Blessed Spirits; MASSENET Meditation from Thaïs; BARTÓK Five Duos – 44 Duos for Two Violins; KERN Arr. Igor Frolov Smoke Gets In Your Eyes;  Follow Highway 89 on twitter @byuh89