Eugene Husaruk

Born of Ukrainian parents in Warsaw, Eugene Husaruk came to Canada in 1949 as a young displaced person after the war. He studied at the Faculty of Music at McGill University and went back to Europe to complete his musical training, studying violin at the Vienna Academy for two years with Vasa Prihoda and Ricardo Odnoposoff, and conducting, with Hans Swarowsky. He then went to Siena where he became Yvonne Astruc's pupil at the Chigiana Academy.

In 1957, he became a member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra where he will play for 42 years in the first violin section (more than 25 years as associate concertmaster). He has given numerous recitals in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto and was guest soloist with the MSO, the McGill Chamber Music Orchestra, The "Société de Musique contemporaine du Québec" the CBC orchestra, "Les Grands Ballets canadiens" and "La Société Philharmonique de Montréal", among others. He was concertmaster for most of these musical organisations, and still is for Les Grands Ballets et la Société philharmonique.

In 1992, he was awarded the"Prix de la Guilde" of the Quebec musicians "in hommage for his career as a whole and for the excellence of his contribution to the musical productions in which he participated".

During the summer 2000, he was invited in Germany as a coach of the first violin section of the World Youth Orchestra of "les Jeunesses Musicales", and has been regularly reinvited since. He dedicates himself more and more to helping young musicians and is presently coaching string sections of various youth orchestras.