Sidney Harth

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Sidney Harth (born 1925) is an American violinist and conductor. He studied with Joseph Knitzer, Michel Piastro and Georges Enesco.

Harth has performed with major orchestras across the world, and was the first American to receive the Laureate Prize in the 1957 Wieniawski Violin Competition, Poland. During this time he made numerous recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Krakow Radio and Television Orchestra.


An acclaimed conductor, Mr. Harth was former Principal Conductor of the Natal Symphony Orchestra in South Africa, Concertmaster and Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, founder, Concertmaster, and Assistant Conductor of the Louisville Symphony Orchestra, Musical Director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, and also Musical Director of the Northwest Chamber Orchestra of Seattle.

Harth was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his B.M. at the Cleveland Institute of Music and since then has held faculty positions at Yale University, the University of Texas, the University of Houston, University of Louisville, and the Mannes College of Music.


At present Harth is the Director of Orchestral Activities at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and teaches violin and chamber music at Carnegie Mellon.