Anthony Feinstein

Michael Rabin: America’s Virtuoso Violinist

Reading • Publication Party

In 1943, at age seven, Michael Rabin picked up a violin for the very first time. Within six months, the child had an astonishing and masterful command of the instrument, outstripping the teaching ability of his father, who sat first chair violin with the New York Philharmonic. By age fifteen, the young Rabin had recorded for Columbia Records, was the youngest soloist yet to be featured on the NBC Bell Telephone Hour, and had had his Carnegie Hall debut, with Isaac Stern in attendance. His great career declined, but in the late 1960s showed signs of a revival. Tragically, four months shy of his thirty-sixth birthday, Michael Rabin died suddenly and under circumstances that until now have been shrouded in mystery and rumor. This is the first biography of this triumphant, yet tragic, musician.

Written with the blessing of Rabin’s sister who has made available for the first time her brother’s correspondence, memorabilia and photographic collection, the book is rich in musical anecdote and documents in detail Rabin’s remarkable career, the personal challenges faced, and the cause of his sudden death.

A Guggenheim Fellow, Anthony Feinstein is a widely published author and professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the neuropsychiatry of multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder. His writings include more than one hundred articles in medical journals and three books. Mr. Feinstein’s love of music and years of admiration and study of Michael Rabin have led to this book, prefaced by articles in The Strad magazine. Married and the father of three, he lives in Toronto, Canada.

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