Charles Haupt became the youngest concertmaster of a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. when he was engaged by the San Antonio Symphony under Victor Allesandro. Invited by Lukas Foss in 1966 to join the Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at SUNY Buffalo, he was subsequently appointed concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic in 1969, a post he filled with distinction, including his duties as yearly soloist with the BPO in a diverse repertoire of concertos by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Barber, Delius, Amram, and others.
Beyond his Buffalo responsibilities, Haupt has also performed as first violin with the Stravinsky and Koussevitzky chamber music festivals at Lincoln Center, was concertmaster and soloist for several years at the Caramoor Music Festival under Julius Rudel, and performed for 21 years at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, as concertmaster and soloist. He has been a featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic on several occasions. He served as concertmaster for Leonard Bernstein on his last recording of West Side Story for Deutsche Gramophone. Haupt has also performed with the American String Project in Seattle, was the violinist in the Baird Trio in residence at SUNY Buffalo for several years, and participated in many festivals around the world, including performances in Italy with renowned pianist Fabio Bidini. He also performs with the SUNY Buffalo new music festival “June in Buffalo." Haupt was a member of the faculty of the Eastman School of Music and has frequently coached members of the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida. He is the founder of the highly successful concert series “A Musical Feast” in Buffalo, N.Y., whose home base is the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
Haupt's photography has been exhibited at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Art Dialogue Gallery, and the Burchfield Penney, all located in Buffalo. He is married to artist Irene Haupt.
For more information on Charles Haupt, visit http://www.amusicalfeast.com/.
Adapted from Jan Jezioro, program notes, “A Musical Feast performs works by John Bacon, W. A. Mozart, Bernard Rands, Nathan Heidelberger and Elliott Carter.” Concert. Buffalo, NY: Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College, May 18, 2012.