Emmy Verhey facts for kids
Emmy Verhey (born on March 13, 1949, in Amsterdam) is a famous Dutch violin player. She is known for her amazing talent and beautiful music.
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About Emmy Verhey
Emmy Verhey started playing the violin when she was just seven years old. Her father was her first teacher. Within a year, she was already playing difficult pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. People quickly saw that she was a "child prodigy," meaning she had an incredible natural talent at a very young age.
When she was eight, she began studying with a famous violin teacher named Oskar Back. Later, she learned from other great teachers like Herman Krebbers and David Oistrakh.
Youngest Prize Winner
At only 17, Emmy made history! She was the youngest person to win a prize at the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. This is a very important music competition. Just one week later, she finished her studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory. So many people wanted to watch her final exam that it had to be held in a huge concert hall called the Concertgebouw.
Playing with the Best
Emmy Verhey has played with many of the world's top conductors, like Mariss Jansons and Bernard Haitink. She has also performed with other famous musicians, including Yehudi Menuhin and David Oistrakh. She has traveled all over the world, playing concerts in places like the United States, Japan, and Israel. People love her strong playing style and the warm, rich sound of her violin. She can play all kinds of music, from very old to very new.
Teacher and Festival Founder
From 1983 to 2002, Emmy taught violin at the Utrecht Conservatory, sharing her knowledge with new musicians. In 1991, she helped start a music group called Camerata Antonio Lucio. This group plays music from the 1700s all the way to today. Since 2006, her hometown of Zaltbommel has held an annual three-day music event called the Emmy Verhey Festival.
Golden Jubilee and Retirement
In 2012, Emmy celebrated 50 years of playing the violin with a special concert in The Hague. Even Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was there! In 2014, she announced that she would stop performing after the summer of 2015. Her final concert was in Amsterdam on November 29, 2015.
Emmy Verhey has made over 55 recordings of her music. These include pieces by famous composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Her Special Violins
Violinists often play on very old and valuable instruments. In the late 1970s, Emmy Verhey played a Stradivarius violin made in 1712. Stradivarius violins are some of the most famous and expensive in the world! Later, in the late 1990s, she started playing a violin made by Andrea Guarneri in 1676. Guarneri violins are also very special.
In 2000, Emmy asked a Dutch violin maker named Lambert Houniet to make an exact copy of her Andrea Guarneri violin.
Awards and Honors
Emmy Verhey has received many awards for her amazing musical career:
- In 1966, she won a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, which also led to her first recording deal.
- In 1967, she won the National Oskar Back Violin Competition in Amsterdam.
- In 1971, she won the Tromp International Music Competition in Eindhoven.
In 2001, Emmy was given a very high honor in the Netherlands. She was made a "Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw," which means Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the country. In 2012, she received the Andreaspenning from the City of Amsterdam. The City of Zaltbommel also gave her their "Gemeentepenning" in 2009 and made her an "honorary citizen."
Images for kids
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Emmy Verhey in 1967 with Princess Beatrix, Prince Claus and the conductor Jan Brussen during a gala concert
See also
In Spanish: Emmy Verhey para niños
