Julius Grossman, a renowned music teacher and conductor who led free concerts in New York City for half a century, died last week at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Long Island.
The cause was complications from heart failure, his family said. Grossman was 90 and lived in Queens Village.
Born in Brooklyn, Grossman began his music career as a concert violinist and later studied conducting at New York University. After directing several award-winning bands in the Pacific during World War II, he taught instrumental music at the Metropolitan Vocational High School in Manhattan.
In 1949, he organized the music department at Manhattanโs High School of Performing Arts, where he taught until 1970.
Two years after forming and conducting the Lower East Side Neighborhoods Symphony Orchestra in 1955, Grossman assembled Municipal Concerts, Inc., a non-profit group that presented free concerts in parks, community centers, nursing homes and other places where classical music was not readily available.
Viewed by many observers as Grossmanโs lasting contribution to Queensโ music scene, Municipal Concerts gave its inaugural performances in 1960. The group was renamed the Julius Grossman Orchestra two decades later.
โHe was very proud of the fact that he provided free concerts, like the orchestra music performances at Seuffert Bandshell,โ said Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer, executive director of the Queens Council on the Arts. โWith the times changing in the 1970s and โ80s, we lost a generation of students who didnโt have exposure to classical music in the schools. I think that spurred him even further to give the free concerts.โ
Consisting of freelance musiciansโsome of whom were getting their first break, others who played with Broadway showsโthe Julius Grossman Orchestra inherited a reputation as a proving ground for some of the nationโs premiere ensembles.
Thousands of musicians played with his orchestra and chamber orchestra, which became known simply as โthe Grossman Gigs,โ and members of the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra rose up through the ranks under his baton.
Besides offering free performances, Grossman conducted national music week concerts at Manhattanโs Town Hall that gave up-and-coming soloists the opportunity to play with a professional orchestra. The orchestra also played annually at Lincoln Centerโs Alice Tully Hall to raise funds until the late 1980s.
Over the course of his lengthy career, Grossman was on the podium for thousands of concerts, including his most recent, in October. The ensemble plans to continue its schedule through its final performance of the year, on December 4th at the Flushing House, a private retirement home. The orchestraโs board of directors has yet to make a decision as to the ensembleโs fate after that.
12 thoughts on “Kaminos”
Was Nicholas related to Alexander Saslavsky who married Celeste Izolee Todd?
Anyone have a contact email for Yair Klinger or link to score for Ha-Bayta?
wish to have homeland concert video played on the big screen throughout North America.
can organize here in Santa Barbara California.
contacts for this needed and any ideas or suggestions welcomed.
Nat farber is my great grandpa ๐
Are there any movies or photos of max kletter? His wifeโs sister was my stepmother, so Iโm interested in seeing them and sharing them with his wifeโs daughter.
The article says Sheb recorded his last song just 4 days before he died, but does not tell us the name of it. I be curious what it was. Iโd like to hear it.
Would anyone happen to know where I can find a copy of the sheet music for a Gil Aldema Choral (SATB) arrangement for Naomi Shemerโs โSheleg Al Iriโ. (Snow on my Village)?
Joseph Smith
Kol Ram Community Choir, NYC
Shalom Joseph. I just saw your 2024 post by chance… I’m a mostly-retired Israeli journalist and translator. In 2003 I translated into English the content (the objective was to remain true to the meaning, not to cadence or rhyme) of poems and lyrics of 48 of Israel’s most iconic songs arranged by Aldema for choirs abroad singing in Hebrew (the words in the scores are transliterated) but members of the choir lack mastery of Hebrew to ‘know’ exactly what they are saying/singing… The book was titled in English “A Merry Choir” – in Hebrew ืืงืืื ืขืืืื . See if you can find a copy in a used book store, it is priceless and apparently out-of-print – well worth the search. If not, they may have a copy at Tel Aviv Amenu Museum’s music department – write them and see if they can send it to you. Or – if you will contact me via Whatsapp – (972) 546872768 or via my email – I will try and find the book (it is not where it ‘should be’ so I have to search) and I will photograph the score with my cell and send to you as an attachment. Best, Daniella Ashkenazy – Kfar Warburg.
ืฉืืื ืฉืืขืื!
ืื ืฉืืืชื ืืืชื. ืขืืืชื ืืช ืืฉืจืื ืืคืืจืืืจ 1998 ืืื ืืืืื ืืช ืื ื ืืืืืืกื ืืงืื ืืช ืืขืืจื ืืืงืฆืืขืืช ืฉืื ืืืืชื ืงืืืืช ืื ืืืฉืจืื. ืื ืกืืคืืจ ืืืื ืขืฆืื ืืืจืื, ืืื ืื ื ืืืืชื ืืืืื ืขื ืืืฆืื ืฉืืืื ืืืชื ืืืืืชื ืืืจื ืืืื ืืฉืืืื ืืืฉื ืืืืฉื ืืืืฉืื. ืืื ืืื ืื ืื 9. ืืขืช ืืื ืื 36 ืืืชืคืงื ืืืืคื ืขืฆืืื. ื ืชืชื ืื ืืืืื ืืช ืืขืชืื ื ืืจืืื. ืืื, ืืืืช ืืืื ืืจื, ืืืืจืื ืืคืืื ืฆืืืช, ืืื ืืืื ืฆืจืืืื ืืขืืื ืืืืจืืช ืืืืืืื ืจืืื!
ืืฉื ืงืื ื
(Maurice King)
Thank you for this wonderful remembrance of Herman Zalis. My late father, Henry Wahrman, was one of his students. Note the correct spelling of his name for future reference. Thank you again for sharing this.
Tirza Wahrman (Mitlak)
amazing zchuso yagein aleinu, he wrote the famous niggun Lefichuch that is sung in almost every Israeli Yeshiva
My grandmother, Rose Ziperson, wrote the words to his music for a song called Main Shtetele, which he produced. I have the sheet music!