Eugene Ormandy (November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was an eminent conductor and violinist.

Born in Budapest (his original name was Jenö Blau), he studied at the conservatoire there. In 1921 he moved to the United States of America (taking his name from the ship on which he travelled, the Normandie), where he worked first as a violinist and later conductor of the Capitol Theater Orchestra in New York City, a group which accompanied silent movies.

Ormandy was appointed conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra from 1931, where he served until 1936. During the darkest days of the Great Depression, RCA Victor contracted Ormandy and the Minneapolis Symphony for many recordings including famous readings of Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 and Mahler's Symphony No. 2. The excellence of these records contributed to Ormandy's reputation as an exceptional musician. His career was also aided enormously by Arthur Judson, the most powerful manager on the American classical music scene in the 1930s.

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NPR Topics: Classical Music

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