One of the most prominent violinists who emerged from the school of Leopold Auer was Efrem Zimbalist (1889-1985). Born in Rostov-on-the-Don, Russia, his musical instruction commenced at an early age with his father, Alexander Zimbalist, a violinist and conductor of the Rostov Opera. Zimbalist graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1907, having won a gold medal and the coveted Rubinstein Prize. In next few years he performed in the world's leading musical centres: In 1907 he played the Brahms violin concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and in London. In 1910 he played in Leipzig the Glazunov violin concerto. At his American debut, on October 27th 1911, he played the Glazunov concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (American premiere of this work). The American critics praised his superb style, musical taste and technical acumen. Following two world tours, Zimbalist decided to make America his home. His active performance career lasted four decades. In 1928 Zimbalist was appointed head of the violin department of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In 1941 he became its director and served in this position until 1968. The American pianist Harry Kaufman (1894-1961), a student of Stokowski and Josef Hofmann, was a teacher of accompaniment at the Curtis Institute. He also appeared as soloist with the New York PhO and the Philadelphia Orchestra.