M. Compinsky; Member of Musical Trio

Manuel Compinsky, a member with his brother and sister of the celebrated Compinsky Trio that performed widely in Europe and the United States through the 1950s, died Jan. 8 at his North Hollywood home.

The violinist, who was founder and director of the old Santa Monica Youth Orchestra and a professor of violin at Cal State Northridge was 87 and was still teaching both on campus and privately at the time of his death.

A former member of the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini, Compinsky was born in Manchester, England, studied violin in London and became a professor at Trinity College there. After emigrating to the United States in the 1920s, he and his sister, Sara, a pianist, and brother, Alec, a cellist, performed in major cities throughout the country before Alec’s death in 1960. For a time they were heard weekly on the CBS radio network.

Earlier, and on his own, Manuel had founded the Aeolin String Quartet in New York in the 1920s.

Manuel and his sister continued to play as a duo or with others as the Compinsky Ensemble after Alec’s death.

Manuel Compinsky played with Toscanini and the NBC Symphony from 1937 to 1940. He had moved permanently to California in the early 1930s and taught at USC from 1933 to 1934. From 1934 to 1937 he supervised the Pacific Institute of Music and Fine Arts in Hancock Park. He was the founder of the institute.

Survivors include three daughters, Kyra, Noelle and Gina, one granddaughter and his sister.