Samuel Magad’s Stradivari journey ends at 94

Samuel Magad, the “impeccable” Chicago Symphony Orchestra violinist who served as a cornerstone performer for 48 years, died May 25 in Buffalo Grove at age 94. From a wartime audition with a broken sense of security to the later confidence of playing a 1710 St

When Samuel Magad tried out for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a 26-year-old veteran fresh from the U.S. Army Orchestra. he didn’t walk in with much certainty—only skill. and a problem he couldn’t fix right away. Music director Fritz Reiner. known for his exacting standards and training under Bartok. asked him a simple question that landed like a verdict: “You’re a good player. but could you get a better violin?”.

Magad answered the way a working man has to—honest, and without the luxury of a workaround. “No, that wasn’t possible, in the short term. ‘I had a junk violin, but I was broke,’” Magad recalled. “ ‘I had a wife, two babies and not a penny. He said, ‘I’ll take you anyway.’”

The audition came after Magad had already debuted with the CSO as an 11-year-old prodigy during World War II. But this was the later test—the adult test—where the instrument in your hand can feel like proof of what your life has allowed.

Magad’s nearly half-century with the CSO ended with his death in Buffalo Grove on May 25. He was 94. By then. he was playing the 1710 Stradivari “Vieuxtemps Hauser. ” a violin that stands as both craft and legend—what Reiner had pressed him to find. at a time when Magad said he couldn’t possibly afford it.

“He arrived in 1958 during the reign of the legendarily precise Fritz Reiner. ” said Wynne Delacoma. the former longtime classical music critic at the Sun-Times. “He rose to assistant concertmaster in 1966 during Jean Martinon’s relatively short tenure. George Solti named him concertmaster in 1972. and Sam held that front row seat for two decades as the high-octane CSO-Solti chemistry turned the orchestra into an international powerhouse. He was a steady presence during the next 15 years when Daniel Barenboim’s approach to a piece of music could change from one performance to the next.”.

Delacoma described Magad as the kind of musician whose value shows up in the steadiness of the work. “Sam’s impeccable technical skills and open mindset were invaluable assets to whomever was on the podium.”

The concertmaster role, after all, is where the performance meets the machinery of trust. The concertmaster is the unsung backstop who cues the A note—usually played by the oboist—so the orchestra can tune at the start of each piece. The job is also practical: the concertmaster sees that the conductor’s wishes are obeyed and helps facilitate logistics. If a star violin soloist breaks a string mid-performance, the concertmaster can swap instruments and keep the music moving.

Some concertmasters, Delacoma suggested through the way she framed Magad’s approach, act like extensions of the conductor. Not Magad.

In “America’s Concertmasters. ” Anne Mischakoff Heiles writes that “Magad saw himself as a colleague of the orchestra’s players. walking the players’ side of the divide with management.” The same passage describes how Magad tried to make the job more than technical: “Giving voice to their concerns. he endeavored to use his voice to promote the welfare of his colleagues.”.

Magad was born May 14, 1932, in Chicago. His father, Herman, was a mattress manufacturer and amateur violinist from Kyiv. His mother, Doris, was a homemaker. He began playing at age 5 and studied with Russian virtuoso Paul Stassevich.

In 1944, when he was still in his early teens, Magad played the first movement from Mendelsson’s “Concerto for Violin E Minor, Op. 64” at the CSO afternoon Young People’s Concert.

He met his future wife, Miriam, as a teenager in the Marshall High School orchestra. Their relationship became a kind of family story that still carries heat with it. “She looked at him and said. ‘I’m going to marry that boy.’ She got her wish. ” said younger daughter Carlen Mines. Miriam and Samuel Magad were married for 71 years before Miriam’s death last February. “They had an incredible love for classical music throughout their lives,” Mines said.

After graduating from DePaul University, Magad was drafted in 1955 and spent three years in the U.S. Army Orchestra. Back in civilian life, he joined the CSO and the Grant Park Symphony.

He also helped build music infrastructure beyond the concert hall. In 1980, Magad helped found the Northbrook Symphony. He described the moment it started: “One day. a man called me up and said. ‘I’m putting together an orchestra. and would you like to be the conductor?’” Magad said. “I laughed a bit and said sure. Next thing I knew, he was calling me up to say ‘Can you come Monday night for the first rehearsal?’”.

He served as conductor for 20 years and was named Conductor of the Year in 1998 by the Illinois Council of Orchestras. DePaul also gave him an honorary doctorate. During summers, Magad was concertmaster at the Aspen Music Festival and worked with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He retired from the CSO in 2007.

“It’s been a joyous ride,” Magad said at the time. “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve gotten a chance to work with all the music directors, going back to Fritz Reiner. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to work with such a great organization, and with the best colleagues and conductors.”

His survivors include daughters Debra Magad and Carlen Mines; grandchildren Jared, Michael, Greg and Kayla; and great grandchildren Leo, Devon, Layla and Blair.

Debra Magad remembered him as someone whose character traveled with his precision. “He was a kind and caring man, with a huge heart. Family was very, very important to him,” she said. “He always found time for family.”

Mines echoed that blend of devotion and discipline. “He was precise, incredible kind, strong and loved what he did,” she said. “He loved classical music.”

Samuel Magad Chicago Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Fritz Reiner George Solti Daniel Barenboim 1710 Stradivari Vieuxtemps Hauser Buffalo Grove DePaul University Northbrook Symphony