Eugène Ysaÿe

Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931), Belgian violinist, conductor, and composer, born in Liège. He studied with the Polish violinist Henryk Wieniawski and the Belgian violinist Henri Vieuxtemps. Ysaÿe was leader of a Berlin orchestra and later toured widely. César Franck wrote his celebrated violin sonata for him in 1886. From 1886 to 1898 he was professor at the Conservatory of Brussels, where he organized the celebrated Ysaÿe Quartet. In 1894 he established the Ysaÿe Concert Society in Brussels. From 1918 to 1922 he was conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. His compositions include sonatas, concertos, and other works for violin. The annual Ysaÿe International Violin Contest was inaugurated by the Belgian crown in 1937.