We were saddened to learn of the death of American violinist Earl Carlyss on Friday January 23, 2026, at the age 86, as news of the passing of this beloved violinist and teacher is now being more widely announced.
From the obituary that appeared in The Strad:
Born in Chicago, Carlyss began his violin studies at the age of ten, making his debut with the Pasadena Symphony aged 16. He won a grant to study at the Paris Conservatoire for two years, under the tutelage of Roland Charmy. Returning to the US, he studied at the Juilliard School under Ivan Galamian, making his recital debut in 1962. He graduated from the Juilliard School with two degrees – Bachelor of Music and Master of Science – and went on to serve as Galamian’s teaching assistant. He became the second violinist of the Juilliard Quartet in 1966, where he remained for 20 years performing over 2,500 concerts and recording over 100 works. Carlyss also served as concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and formed and played in the Aspen Quartet. From 1984, he was director of the Aspen Center for Advanced Quartet Studies, a summer programme offering intensive training for emerging professional string quartets. In 1986 he left the Juilliard Quartet and joined the faculty of Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where his wife, Ann Schein, was on the piano faculty. There, he served as head of the school’s chamber music programmes until 2001. Additionally, he taught violin and chamber music at Juilliard School from 1996.
On Wednesday afternoon's Classical Music with Foley Schuler, we'll remember Earl Carlyss with several of his many recordings with the Juilliard Quartet—including works of Beethoven, Bartók, and Barber.
You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon from 1 until 4 on Blue Lake Public Radio.
