Joseph Achron

Achron began studying violin with his father at the age of five, giving his first performance when he was eight. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory at the age of 18 and went on to become the head of the violin and chamber departments at the Conservatory of Kharkov. After serving in the Russian Army in WWI, he took a position at the Leningrad Artist's Union as head of the violin master class and chamber music department. He emigrated to New York in 1925 and taught violin at the Westchester Conservatory. He also enjoyed success as a composer. An interesting characteristic of his Golem Suite is that its opening section is restated in exact retrograde at the end of the piece, symbolizing the downfall of the monster Golem. Achron moved to Hollywood in 1934 where he continued to perform as a violinist and also composed scores for films. He employed the techniques of atonality and polytonality in his work. ~ Lynn Vought