OSCAR RAVINA

RAVINA--Oscar, NY Philharmonic violinist, professor of music at Montclair State College, beloved teacher, husband, father, and grandfather, died at home on February 25th after a long illness, comforted by hospice care. Born in Warsaw in 1930, Ravina studied at the Leningrad Conservatory, and continued his studies after World War II at the Bruckner Conservatory and the Academy of Music in Vienna. Encouraged to emigrate to the US by Isaac Stern, he arrived in New York in 1950 and worked at the Radio City Music Hall before joining the New York Philharmonic in 1963. As a Philharmonic musician he worked with the greatest conductors of his generation and performed on five continents. Active in chamber music he co-founded and led the Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York and the Ravina String Quartet and performed with the New York Philharmonic Chamber Ensembles. A devoted, passionate, and beloved teacher, he was named professor emeritus after his retirement from Montclair State University, where he taught for over twenty-five years. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Ravina, his sister (Rochelle Rubin of Montclair), two sons (Mark Ravina of Atlanta and Bernard Ravina of Rochester), and seven grandchildren. A funeral service will be held on Sunday February 28th, at 1pm at the Jewish Memorial Chapel, 841 Allwood Road, Clifton, NJ 07012, (973-779-3048). In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Oscar Ravina Talent Grant in Music, Keith Wiggs, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043 (973-655-3443).