July – August 2010
We are constantly amazed at the amount of information we are missing on this important artist. Although we have access to many archives and personal records, we realize that these create a truly incomplete picture of a life of which we have great interest. In the spirit of sharing, if you do happen to have new information, please let us know so we can provide it to…well, everyone else!
Philip Newman:
The founder of the Festival was a master violinist named Philip Newman, who was born in 1904 in Manchester into a family of talented musicians. He studied under the great Adolf Brodsky, who invited him to attend the Brussels Conservatory where Newman was awarded the “Premier Prix de Violon” after a single year of study.
Rather than embark upon a tour or residency as a concert violinist, Newman continued to study in Berlin with Willy Hess. While he performed occasionally, he also served as a judge for both the Concours Reine Elizabeth and the Tchaikovsky Violin Competition. Between his performances and service, he attracted the attention of Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, and became her personal violin teacher. Once this occurred, nothing could halt his growing acceptance and popularity.
After the War, Newman began a string of concert tours that took him across Europe and Africa for the next decade and a half. He ultimately settled in Pollença, founding the International Music Festival in 1962 and involving himself heavily with the Festival until his death in November of 1966 from a heart attack.