A Queen Gave Him A Priceless Violin At 26

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]At 7, he performed on radio.

[00:00:01]>> [music] >> At 26, a queen gave him a priceless violin. Elwyn Adams gave his first recital at 5 years old in Cleveland, Ohio. By 7, he was on local radio, >> [music] >> documented in Cleveland's African-American newspaper archives.

[00:00:15]His mother moved him and his sister to Boston, settling near the New England Conservatory of Music.

[00:00:20]Watching white students walk past their home to attend classes became their motivation.

[00:00:26]Both siblings eventually enrolled.

[00:00:28]According to conservatory records, Adams studied with Richard Burgin, concertmaster [music] of the Boston Symphony, and earned his degree with honors in 1956.

[00:00:38]He moved to Brussels to study with Belgian master Arthur Grumiaux.

[00:00:41]>> [music] >> At the 1959 Queen Elizabeth competition, Adams performed so brilliantly that Queen Lillian of Belgium presented him with a violin once owned by composer Eugène Ysaÿe, a handmade instrument crafted by French luthier Jean-Baptiste [music] Vuillaume.

[00:00:58]Adams was 26. He won first prize in Munich, third prize in Moscow competing before legendary violinist David Oistrakh, >> [music] >> and performed at Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall, and across Europe.

[00:01:11]In 1970, he became one of the University of Florida's first black professors. He died of prostate cancer in 1995 at 62.

[00:01:20]His sister Armenta became one of the first black professors at Eastman School of [music] Music.

[00:01:25]Here's what I want to know.

[00:01:26]Why do we know Itzhak Perlman's name, [music] but not Elwyn Adams?

[00:01:31]What does that reveal about which virtuosos get remembered?

[00:01:34]Share your answer in this story because Adams' brilliance deserves recognition.

[00:01:38]>> [clears throat]