Hugh Bean

Hugh Cecil Bean was an English violinist and teacher born on September 22, 1929 (Heifetz was 28 years old.) His first lessons were with his father at age 5. At age nine he began studies with Albert Sammons (which he continued for about 20 years) and then attended the Royal College of Music (London) from age 15 until age 17. In 1951, he won second prize in the Carl Flesch Competition. In 1952, he spent a year at the Brussels Conservatory, and, after that course of study, formed the Boise Trio. Along the way, he was winning prizes for his playing. At age 24, he was appointed violin professor at the Royal College of Music, where he taught for the next 37 years. (After that, he taught there on and off.) From 1957 to 1967 he was concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra. The next two years were spent as Associate Concertmaster of the BBC Symphony. He then devoted his time to solo work for 20 years until about 1989, when he returned to the Philharmonia as co-concertmaster (and stayed until 1994.) He recorded as a soloist - Edward Elgar’s violin concerto and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, for instance - but more extensively as a member of the Music Group of London, with which he also toured the world. Bean died on December 26, 2003, at age 74.