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Out of the shadows: violin pedagogue D.C. Dounis

2025-02-21T09:37:00

Dounis_-_Age_20

The Greek-born violinist and mandolinist D.C. Dounis was one of the most influential pedagogues of the 20th century, but his life and works still remain shrouded in mystery. Clifford Hall investigates why

In the winter of 1953, pianist Robert Taylor found himself in an unusual situation. He was waiting for a lesson – not with a pianist, but with the violinist, mandolinist and famously secretive pedagogue D.C. Dounis. As he ascended from the lower floor of the elegant New York City apartment to an even more spacious teaching studio, he neither heard nor saw a trace of the previous student…

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