Herman Clebanoff, 86; Conductor and Violinist Led His Own Ensemble

Herman Clebanoff, concert and recording violinist who headed the 18-piece Clebanoff Strings and had been conductor of the Beach Cities Symphony Orchestra, has died. He was 86.

Clebanoff, who recorded under that single surname, died Jan. 13 of natural causes in Sherman Oaks, said his son, Jerry, of Los Angeles.

The Chicago-born musician was perhaps best-known for his work in the early 1960s, shortly after he moved to Los Angeles. For Mercury Records, he led his group in recording such instrumental albums as “Moods in Music,” “Songs from Great Films,” “Songs from Great Operettas,” “Twelve Great Songs of All Time,” “Exciting Songs” and “Strings Afire.”

In 1962, showcasing his innovative concerts of half-classic and half-pop tunes, he took his Clebanoff Strings on a 46-city tour of the U.S. and performed at Las Vegas’ Flamingo Hotel.

Then he entertained the hometown crowd at the Hollywood Bowl with a concert called “Accent on Strings and Voice.” Clebanoff conducted the Hollywood Bowl Pops Orchestra and occasionally soloed to provide the strings; the singing voice was Gogi Grant’s.

“I like to think the things we do are American today,” he told The Times in 1962. “I don’t like to think that the music we play is background music. It’s not music to do something else by. It’s music to listen to.”

He later recorded with Decca and Victor Music of Japan.

Clebanoff began studying the violin at age 5 and gave his first recital two years later. By the age of 20, he was both the youngest member of the Chicago Symphony and concertmaster of the Chicago Civic Orchestra. He spent two years with the Illinois Works Progress Administration Symphony Orchestra and in 1941 joined NBC as a staff musician.

After two years as concertmaster and assistant conductor of the New Orleans Symphony, he rejoined the NBC staff orchestra in Chicago as concertmaster. Often performing for Dave Garroway’s “Garroway at Large” show, he remained with NBC until the mid-1950s, when he organized Clebanoff Strings.

The violinist was a popular guest conductor in Southern California with such groups as the Santa Monica Symphony. From 1980 to 1987 he was music director and conductor of the 65-piece Beach Cities Symphony.

In addition to his son, Clebanoff is survived by his wife of 63 years, Helen; daughters Carol Zamir of Los Angeles and Barbara Nufeld of Bellevue, Wash.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.