Nathan Milstein

Nathan Milstein — violinist with roots in the Russian Empire

Nathan Milstein was a Ukrainian-born American violinist who became one of the supreme virtuosos of the 20th century. Trained at the Odessa Music School and then by Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg, he escaped Soviet Russia with Vladimir Horowitz in 1925 and built a legendary international career.

Tracing the roots — Odessa

Born in Odessa (Russian Empire, now Ukraine) in 1903 to Miron Milstein, Nathan studied with Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg and escaped Soviet Russia in 1925. His Odessa origins — the same city that produced Jascha Heifetz's teacher and countless other musicians — connect him to the richest musical soil of the Russian Empire.

Historical context

Russian Empire · c. 1721–1917

Odessa. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.

Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

A career defined by ambition