Valter Despalj Cause of Death, Bio, Age, Career, Wife, Family
Valter Despalj Cause of Death, Bio, Age, Career, Wife, Family: Valter Despalj, a Croatian cellist passed away at the age of 76.
What Happened to Valter Despalj?
LUKA announced the demise of the Croatian cellist Valter Dešpalj on Social Media. It says,
It is with deep sadness I would like to announce that my dear professor Valter Dešpalj (1947-2023) has passed away this morning.
I was his student at the Zagreb Academy of Music from age 15 to 19 and consider him the biggest and main influence on my growth as a cellist, musician, and person in those crucial years, so important for the development of a young professional musician. It’s impossible to put into words how much he has done for me and all of his many great students. His legacy is huge and lives on. Dear Professor thank you for everything and rest in peace!
Valter Dešpalj Cause of Death
Professor Valter Dešpalj passed away at the age of 76 at 9th April 2023. It was announced on social media by one of his students. His playing and words were a direct source of inspiration for many generations of musicians. His cello playing, crafted in both Julliard (New York) and Moscow Conservatory in the late ’60s, had a powerful and captivating beauty.
Music is the gift that keeps on giving. Making your own music is a wonderful way of paying tribute to your teacher. He has left a lasting legacy in you, and in all his other students as well. Keep playing!
About Valter Despalj
Valter was born in 1947. He is a Croatian cellist and a professor at the Zagreb Academy of Music. Dešpalj was born in Zadar, Croatia to Albanian parents and graduated from the Juilliard School cello with L. Rose, chamber music with F. Galimir, and Juilliard Quartet). He also took master classes with P. Casals, P. Fournier, and A. Navarra, and did two years of postgraduate study with G. Kozolupova at the Moscow Conservatory.
Valter Despalj Career
Despalj has performed all over the world, including performances at festivals in Gstaad, Lockenhaus, Kuhmo and Dubrovnik also in some of the most prestigious concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall in London, Sydney Opera House, Amsterdam′s Concertgebouw, Moscow Conservatory Hall etc. He was soloist with orchestras including Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Dresden Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Dutch Radio Orchestra, Washington National Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony and others, under baton of eminent conductors such as Roberto Benzi, Sergiu Comissiona, James Conlon, Vernon Handley, Günther Herbig, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Andrzej Markowski, David Zinman and others. Among his chamber music partners were Gidon Kremer, Yo-Yo Ma, Heinrich Schiff, Philippe Entremont, Yuri Bashmet, Tabea Zimmermann, Irena Grafenauer, Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Alexandre Rabinovitch.