Efrem Zimbalist

Efrem Alexandrovich Zimbalist (1889, Rostov - 1985, Reno, Nevada) was an American violinist.

He studied at St. Petersburg with Leopold Auer and made his debut in Berlin in 1907 with Johannes Brahms' concerto. He performed in London in that year. In 1911 he emigrated to America. He performed regularly until 1949, and emerged from retirement in 1952 to give the premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's violin concerto.

He taught at the Curtis Institute from 1928 and was its director, 1941-68.

He married Alma Gluck in 1914; she died in 1938. Their son was the actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. He married Mary Louise Curtis Bok in 1943.