Erick Friedman ’70

Erick, a violinist and professor at the Yale School of Music, died of cancer March 30, 2004. He was 64.

A child prodigy, Erick studied at Juilliard and made his New York debut as a violinist at 14. At 17, he began studying with Jascha Heifetz, with whom he recorded Bach's Concerto for Two Violins. He entered Princeton with our class but left after freshman year to pursue his musical career. He taught violin at Southern Methodist

University, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Manhattan School of Music.

In 1989 he began teaching violin at Yale and taught there for the remainder of his teaching career. He recorded for RCA with the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, and the London Symphony. He received several Grammy nominations for his recordings, and in 1996, won the Grammy for best historical album for his participation in The Heifetz Collection.

He was conductor and music director for the Garrett Lakes Summer Festival Orchestra in Maryland and played and conducted at music festivals worldwide. In 2000, he received the Ignace J. Paderewski Award for Distinguished Contributions to Society and Culture.

Erick is survived by his wife, Lu; his son, Brian; and Brian's children, Noah and Rachel.

The Class of 1970