Richard Pennycuick wrote:

>The only other Brusilow I have is an EMI CD containing, among others,
>an especially passionate Borodin 2nd.  Both this and the LP are with
>the Bournemouth Symphony and were recorded in 1976.  I vaguely remember
>Brusilow's name on the radio in conjunction with the Chamber Symphony of
>Philadelphia.  I wondered why a gifted conductor, highly thought of by such
>people as Ormandy and Szell and, indeed, Yardumian, who gave the LP his
>enthusiastic imprimatur, recorded comparatively little.  In short, whatever
>happened to Anshel Brusilow?

I am very pleased to answer your questions about Maestro Brusilow, whom
I know very well and have studied (briefly) with and have sung under many,
many times.  Mr. Brusilow left Philadelphia in 1970 and came to Dallas
where he was the ill-fated conductor and general director of the Dallas
Symphony Orchestra.  Regrettably, the orchestra went dark for half a season
under his baton, mainly through the foolish moves of the powers-that-be
who expected the conductor to run the business end too.  From the DSO,
Mr. Brusilow went to North Texas State University to head the orchestral
program there.  (NTSU is now known as UNT, the University of North Texas)
Southern Methodist University bought him away from UNT for a few years, but
when the scholarship money for good string players went away, so did Mr.
B.  He returned to UNT in the late 80's where he still remains as director
of orchestral studies and professor of conducting.

Mr. Brusilow continued to play the violin until the early 90's when a
skin condition that caused his hands to split and bleed forced him to give
up most of his playing activities.  He is at present the conductor of the
Richardson Symphony orchestra, one of the many community orchestras in the
Dallas/Ft.  Worth area.  Maestro Brusilow continues to be a force in the
Dallas music scene, although he has slowed his activities a bit.  (He is
nearing 70 years old.) He is still every bit the master musician that he
has always been.  He is a bit of a tyrant as a teacher, somewhat in the
Szell/Reiner mold, but on the whole, he is a wonderful, facinating and
generous man who has inspired many students in his career as a teacher.
Amongst his former college concertmasters is the associate concertmaster
of the National SO and the Baltimore SO.

His recordings are sadly unavailable for the most part.I own every one of
them and have spent many years tracking them down.  He will be delighted to
know that he was asked about, and I will be happy to let him know.  Anshel
Brusilow is an American musical treasure who deserves far more fame than he
has.  He is a kind and generous man who truly can inspire musicians to do
what they were unaware that they were capable of.  I love him dearly and
long may he prosper.

Kevin Sutton