He has been a conductor for seven decades, won more awards than he can possibly remember, and traveled to almost every country where western classical music has takers. But Victor Feldbrill knows better than to think that all it takes to produce spellbinding music is for him to turn up at a concert.
“Music is such a demanding career [and] you are constantly restudying the music you are playing,” said Feldbrill, who spends at least five months every year in his Coral Springs home. “You can’t take anything for granted; I certainly don’t.”
A Canadian conductor and violinist, Feldbrill is a household name in classical music circles, his virtuosity often making music lovers wish for more. Son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he has conducted in countries as diverse as Japan, the former Soviet Union, Belgium, Italy, Holland, Philippines, China and Japan.
Feldbrill says he is semi-retired, but music keeps him busy when he is in Coral Springs. He leads the Lyric Chamber Orchestra, a group of retired professional and senior amateur string players that do two concerts every year at St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach.
For someone who has spent much of his career with professional players and teaching youth orchestra groups, it is a different experience dealing with retired musicians. “It’s something that I enjoy; they have the same enthusiasm as a youth orchestra. The quality of music is very high [and] it’s serious music. I enjoy sharing music with people who are enthusiastic about it, it’s very gratifying.”
Ruth Stevens, Boynton Beach resident and Lyric Chamber Orchestra founder, was the conductor before Feldbrill took over. “We have 22 musicians in the group. I thought of having an orchestra as there are many wonderful retired musicians in South Florida. This is the only group in South Florida that consists entirely of retired professional and non-professional string players.”