Beethoven Found Artistic Team

Behind every great organization there is a ground-breaking force that sparks awareness and gets the ball rolling. For Beethoven Found that force was master violinist and conductor extraordinaire, Yuval Waldman. His passion for classical music combined with his unique ability to ignite excitement among his fellow music colleagues helped to create the level of interest necessary to bring this exceptional nonprofit organization to life.

The Russian-born Waldman made his first public debut and the tender age of eight. The musically talented child prodigy went on to be educated and receive the remainder of his musical training at schools in Israel, Europe and the United States. He made his first New York debut during the International Series at Carnegie Hall, Jeunesse Musicales. His clever and distinctive interpretations of Baroque music have earned him the reputation of being a highly versatile performer. He has also gained recognition for his skilled recitals of seldom performed nineteenth century masterpieces.

Waldman, the first violinist of the renowned Kinor String Quartet, received first place recognition at the Conservatory of Geneva and is also the winner of the American-Israel Cultural Foundation Prize. He is the founding music director for Washington D.C.’s Jefferson Music Festival, the Opus Berkshire Festival in Massachusetts, the Madeira Bach Festival in Portugal, and the Benedictine Millennium Festival in Rome.

Not only a musician but also a teacher, Waldman once served as Chairman of the Strings Department at the State University of New York at Purchase, and he is also part of the staff at Summertrios and Waterville Valley Music Center. Additionally, he provides master classes the world over, most recently at the Eastern European University in Izhevsk, Russia and in Armaty, Kazakhstan.

A steadfast supporter of classical music education for youth, Waldman founded Music Bridges International, Inc. in 2005 to encourage cross-cultural music exchange programs that highlight music from various countries. From this he was able to construct the vastly successful Young Artists Strings Competition at Tchaikovsky’s Homeland Center in Votkinsk, Russia. 

In 2006 while reading a journal, Waldman came across an article about Dutch musicologist Willem Holsbergen and his time spent searching for several works composed by Beethoven that had been lost for 160+ years. Once the pieces were found, which included Overture to Macbeth and the second movement from the Oboe Concerto; Holsbergen restored the manuscripts to performing condition. Waldman contacted long-time friend and fellow master instrumentalist, David Meyers, an acclaimed oboe player, about his interest in Holsbergen’s findings. The two musicians sought out Holsbergen and were able to acquire the rights from him to record the two newly restored works.

The recording took place in St. Petersburg’s Old Melodia Studio in Russia and featured Waldman and Meyers along with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. The project in its finalized state consisted of the lost but newly discovered works and also several well-known works by Beethoven, including the Romance in F Major and Symphony No. 5. Once the recording was complete Waldman and Meyers became inspired to form Beethoven Found, an organization they hoped would help reinstate classical music education programs in American public schools.

The CD is now mass distributed, coupled with a jigsaw puzzle and a twelve-page booklet, which is available through Beethoven Found. All profits made from CD or MP3 sales go directly to Beethoven Found to support their mission in providing children with instruments and music training. To maintain promotion of the works, Waldman and the rest of the Beethoven Found team continue to present concerts with performances by American, European and Asian orchestras. Their focus is on the inclusion of young people in these recitals to showcase the positives of classical music training for youth.

Without Yuval Waldman’s discovery of Holsbergen’s work and his subsequent action to involve David Meyers in his project, Beethoven Found would have never existed. It took Waldman’s musical innovation and enthusiasm to build the foundation from the ground up. He was absolutely paramount to the creation of the organization and has helped bring awareness to the American public of the dire importance of musical education as a part of every child’s life.

Yuval Waldman is currently living in New York City where he directs the New American Chamber Orchestra. He also continues to be a frequent performer as a soloist and conductor with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

Written by: Jessica Pickett