Vartan Manoogian has died

July 16, 2007 at 03:14 PM · That's so sad! I've heard a lot about him, as well; he seems to have been a driving force in the violin program in Madison. My condolences to his friends, family, and students.

July 16, 2007 at 09:14 PM · I hadn't heard this yet! I studied with him for a summer at Madeline Island Music Camp in 1992. Very insightful and mercilessly funny!

I was 14, and right before a quartet coaching I had fallen in a mud puddle. Our coaching was in a drafty top-floor room and he was horrified at my wet shirt. "Take it off!" he yelled. But there were girls in the group! "Take it off! We are not that Puritan here."

July 16, 2007 at 10:13 PM · Wow, I almost decided this spring to study with him at Madison. He is definitely irreplaceable as a teacher and person.

On a related note, fellow madeleine island teacher Mary West died earlier this June at the age of 97.

July 17, 2007 at 05:26 PM · I had the pleasure of studying with Mr. Manoogian in Junior High and early High School both in Indianapolis and Madison. He is the reason that I am a musician today. He was inspiring, kind, gentle, humble, and one of the most brilliant intellects and violinists I have ever known. He could also put the fear of God into you if you didn't come prepared. The world is a better place for his having been here, but he was taken from us far too soon.

July 24, 2007 at 03:35 PM · I studied with Mr Manoogian from 1989-1993 at UW-Madison, including the summer session that Derek Reeves attended. I agree with everything he said. Mr. Manoogian profoundly changed my life and my understanding of the violin. I am deeply saddened by his passing... I was so fortunate to have the oportunity to have study with him. His knowledge was a gift to me and to my students. Eventhough, he is gone, I cherish that his knowledge lives on in me. It is a blessing that I am able to pass it on to my students.

July 27, 2007 at 08:00 PM · As a teenager, I attended a masterclass in Switzerland, where he was teaching. After one performance of mine, some teachers started to give me advices on how I can improve my playing. Then Vartan came up to me and said: "Don't listen to anybody. Just keep working." These words stuck in my head for a long time.