Ida Haendel

A singularly talented violinist who quickly rose the ranks as a child prodigy, Ida Haendel performed in nine different decades, played for popes and princes, and was honored as a Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. Born in Chelm, Poland, on December 15 -- she liked to say in 1928, while her father claimed 1923 -- Haendel displayed an immediate gift for the violin and was encouraged to pursue her talent. She was already performing in high-level competitions by 1935, most notably the international Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, in which she took seventh place, at (supposedly) only seven years old. Her family had relocated to London by the time World War II broke out, and Haendel regularly performed for Allied soldiers. After the war, she continued to tour and perform in Europe, made her American debut at Carnegie Hall in 1946 and eventually relocated to Montreal in the early 1950s. She lived there for nearly 30 years before moving to Miami in 1979, but remained an in-demand performer regardless of her home city at the time. She was particularly renowned for her interpretations of concertos by Sibelius and Brahms, and also offered highly-acclaimed takes on pieces by Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, and Beethoven. Her range made her a fitting performer at lighter occasions, such as Prince Charles’ 40th birthday party, or for more somber occasions, including on the grounds at the Auschwitz concentration camp as part of Pope Benedict XVI’s 2006 tour of Poland. She died on July 1, 2020 in Miami.

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