The Charles Treger Special Prize, endowed by The Charles Treger Family for the best performance of a Henryk Wieniawski concerto
The Treger Family is proud to present The Charles Treger Special Prize, established to honor the enduring memory of our beloved father and grandfather. This award commemorates his historic first prize triumph at the 1962 Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, where he became the first, and to date, only American to achieve this distinction. This milestone launched his brilliant international career as a world-renowned violin virtuoso. From that momentous day until his passing in 2023, he maintained a profound relationship with and deep admiration for The Wieniawski Society and the Polish people. We are privileged to continue his extraordinary legacy by presenting this special prize in his name at this year’s Wieniawski Competition.
About Charles Treger
Charles Treger – the first (and so far, only) American winner of the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition
Charles Treger (1935–2023) was the undisputed winner of the 4th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in 1962. His victory achieved a rare consensus, uniting the official jury verdict with the enthusiasm of the audience –whose younger members, in a unique moment in competition history, carried their hero out of the University Auditorium on their shoulders.
Although the 27-year-old artist was already a mature virtuoso with over 700 performances to his credit and a professor at the Iowa Conservatory, he was deeply gratified by his success. His joy was perhaps even greater than when he first performed a Wieniawski concerto with an orchestra at the age of 11. When reflecting on that early performance in his competition questionnaire, Treger wrote that “the same Charles Treger” had long been familiar with Wieniawski. Interpreters and commentators missed the subtle phrasing, leading nearly all contemporary press reports to humorously refer to the competition’s laureate by two first names: “Same Charles.”
Treger possessed exceptional talent and a unique artistic personality, refined under the guidance of legendary educators including Szymon Goldberg, Ivan Galamian, and William Kroll. His historic 1962 victory in Poland ignited an international career spanning more than 50 years. He maintained a prolific touring schedule, performing with leading orchestras worldwide under the batons of renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Seiji Ozawa, and Pierre Boulez.
A founding member of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Treger had a passion for chamber music. He toured as a duo with pianist André Watts for seven years and collaborated with an extraordinary roster of artists, including Rudolf Serkin, Emanuel Ax, Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Yehudi Menuhin. Throughout his career, he performed on the magnificent 1723 “Hartmann” Stradivarius and gave recitals for U.S. Presidents and the Queen of England.
A deep commitment to young musicians led him to focus on teaching through private instruction, masterclasses, and executive leadership. He succeeded Ivan Galamian as President and Director of the famed Meadowmount School of Music, and served on prestigious arts foundations, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Treger returned to Poznań after 34 years to serve on the jury of the 11th Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition. A year and a half later, in the spring of 1998, he returned once more to conduct masterclasses and give a recital at the University Auditorium, the historic venue of the Competition.
Charles Treger passed away on January 12, 2023, at the age of 87.
Charles Treger (USA) – Karol Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 61
Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Robert Satanowski
4th Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition (1962)
