Eugene Ormandy, born Jenő Blau, was an Austro-Hungarian-born American conductor
and violinist born November 18, 1899, in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. He began
violin studies at age 3 and entered the Royal National Hungarian Academy of
Music at age 5. Ormandy achieved a major career breakthrough in 1931 when he
substituted for Arturo Toscanini with the Philadelphia Orchestra, which led to
his appointment as chief conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra from
1931 to 1936. In 1936, he joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as co-conductor
alongside Leopold Stokowski, becoming sole ...