He is a violinist, conductor and composer born in Chicago, Illinois who firstly studied the violin with Morris Gomberg followed by composition and conducting at Roosevelt University.
As a professional musician he performed with the American orchestras the Boston Pops, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Rochester Philharmonic. He also played in Europe as a member of the Seventh Army Symphony with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and as concertmaster of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonic.
After completing his service in Europe he took graduate studies in violin and composition at the Eastman School of Music.
In 1964 he became a member of second violin section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and during his career with the orchestra he performed many classical music concerts along with playing as a chamber musician in Chicago Duo and soloist. He retired from the CSO in 2011 after performing with them for 47 years.
As a conductor he has led the Chicago Orchestra in Pops and the Skokie Valley Youth Symphony.
His work as a composer has seen him writing several orchestral works and the score for the 1927 silent film Love after getting a deal from MGM/Turner Communications which has since been performed at venues in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and Moscow.
Recordings he has performed include La Montaine: Conversations for Violin and Piano Opus 42 as a featured artist along with Corigliano – Symphony No. 1, Brahms: Violin Concerto/Somata No. 3 and Wagner – Overtures and Preludes by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Sources:
- https://cfm10208.com/assets/files/MusicInTheSchools/ARNOLD-BROSTOFF.pdf
- https://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2011/10/two-veteran-cso-members-retire/
- https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-10-13-8802070218-story.html
- https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/1991/03/love/
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/4003619-Arnold-Brostoff?type=Credits&filter_anv=0