Margolin with his students, L to R: Wladimir Raskin, V.Margolin, Oleg Grechnev, Leonid Kolesnik.

Kirill Gusarov

Efim Benevich

Margolin with Russian Brass, L-R: V.Margolin, Igor Karzev, Valentin Avvakumov, Alexei Belyaev, Igor Sharapov, Maxim Ignatiev.

The legendary Russian trumpet player Veniamin Margolin celebrated his 85th birthday on December 17, 2007. Margolin is the Professor of Trumpet at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory and former Principal Trumpet with the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Philharmonic Orchestra.

A special concert dedicated to Maestro Margolin’s birthday took place in the Glazunov Hall of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Current and former students, the Conservatory brass quintet, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Brass Quintet all participated in this event. The Conservatory Director, People’s Artist of Russia Alexander Chaikovsky, opened the evening with heartfelt greetings on behalf of the faculty of the Conservatory. The brass department of the Moscow Conservatory delegated Professor of Trombone Anatoly Skobelev and Trumpet Professor Evgeny Fomin* to congratulate Mr. Margolin.  Conductors Valeri Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, and Mariss Jansons sent their greetings to the elder of the Leningrad/St. Petersburg Trumpet School.

Veniamin Margolin received countless phone calls, telegrams, and e-mails from his friends and colleagues around the globe: Russia, USA, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and several European countries.