Lysy Branding

My father was someone who would make an impact on everyone he met. He was not someone who went by unnoticed. Not someone who was accused of being “non-committal”. He was not a man you would often hear saying “I’m not sure” or “maybe”. He lived a life of passionate engagement in everything he did, from buying food at the supermarket to his choice of vibrato speed. He saw things in either black or white, with no room in between, and that conviction was apparent in every action of his life and naturally his extraordinary music making. For him there was no other way.

He was a man of extremes: One day he could be the
most generous person in the world and the next, the meanest.
One day the most easy going, the next the scariest! One day the most sentimental, the next the most intolerant – EXCEPT with bad intonation. He was ALWAYS consistently intolerant about bad intonation – ai, ai aiiii!

He was particularly hard on himself too , and it was this attitude and training which we all felt prepared us so well for tough challenges, from concerts, competitions, auditions. He made sure no one was ever, ever spoiled and kept you constantly on your toes.

He was predictable in his unpredictability He had a power of communication through his violin, which is impossible to define, or for that matter to teach. A gift that reached into the depths of people’s souls.

His work for so many years as founder and director of the Academy has thankfully been allowed to continue, through a sometimes awkward, but ultimately successful journey.

Few people would have the patience and will to see through the puzzle of my father’s mind , unless they knew, admired and loved him well.