Death of a New York violin guru, 59
mainFamily and friends are reporting the death of Joey Corpus, a sought-after teacher whose Broadway studio was equidistant between Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music.
In the car accident that killed his mother when he was 11, Joey was left paraplegic. At 15, he won a scholarship to study with Dorothy DeLay at Julliard but was unable to accept for medical reasons. Later, he went to Philadelphia to work with Jascha Brodsky.
His students include Lara St John, Wen Qian and Katherine Gowers.
The cause of death is not yet known. Our sympathies to his young family.
I must confess that I had never heard of Joey Corpus. However,googling has revealed a most impressive musician and person. There have never been too many of these
I’d never heard of him until I heard an extraordinary rendition of “Zigeunerweisen” on my local public radio station several years ago. It turned out to be Lara St. John performing (https://www.larastjohn.com/albums/gypsy). I bought the CD as fast as I could, and in the program notes she gives him great credit for teaching her about style. I always figured he was some “old guy” from the days of Galamian and Zimbalist. Sad to hear of his passing even though I never knew him.
Joey was my violin teacher for most of the formative years of my life, starting when I was 12 through my early 20s. He changed the trajectory of my life, and I wouldn’t be a musician or a teacher myself if it were not for him. I hope that I can honor his legacy with my own teaching every day, even though I would never be able to match his skill and diligence. May his soul rest in peace.
Joey taught my 11 year old son for a year before he entered the pre-college program at Juilliard. Joey was a brilliant teacher. Very patient, calm and funny. He was a “master” on the violin and he made difficult passages look so simple. During the lesson, he would break the ice by removing a deck of cards and showing my son a few tricks. He was also a great chess player. Sitting in on the lessons, I learnt a lot from this great, humble man. Just last month, my son spoke with Joey to invite him for his recital at the Alice Tully Hall. Due to health reasons, Joey couldn’t make it. My son will be devastated to hear that the “great man” is no more. We will miss him. RIP, brother.
The Rodrigues family