Daniel Guilet

He immigrated in 1941 to the U.S. in his forties, and changed his surname to Guilet. Next year he organized a string quartet bearing his own surname. In 1944, he joined the NBC Symphony Orchestra, under conductor Arturo Toscanini; Guilet became concertmaster in 1951, and continued in that position in 1954 when Toscanini retired and the orchestra was renamed the Symphony of the Air. Also in 1954, he invited cellist Bernard Greenhouse to join him and Menahem Pressler, with whom Guilet had previously made recordings, in playing informally—supposedly, as Greenhouse put it 25 years later, just "to play some Mozart". The ensemble built an international reputation, and (at the time of his death 35 years later, and 30 after his retirement) The New York Times described it as still the "most prominent trio" in chamber music, anywhere. Guilet retired from performing in 1969, retiring from teaching at Indiana University at the same time; he then moved to teaching at the University of Oklahoma. He also taught at the Manhattan School of Music, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Montreal, and Baylor University.