Franko, Sam, 1857-1937

Sam Franko was an American violinist. He was born in New Orleans on January 20, 1857 to parents of Hungarian extraction. During the Civil War his father, a Confederate soldier, was captured but managed to escape by disguising himself in women's clothing. The family fled to Germany where Sam Franko received his early education. (His father was later pardoned by President Abraham Lincoln.)

In Berlin, Sam Franko studied violin with Joseph Joachim, Heinrich de Ahna, Eduard Rappoldi, Henri Vieuxtempts, and played his first public recital in Breslau at age 7. He made his New York debut at Steinway Hall in 1869. Upon returning to the United States in 1880 he became a member of the Theodore Thomas Orchestra, and was its concertmaster from 1884 until 1891 when Thomas left for Chicago. In 1883 Franko toured the United States and Canada as soloist with the Mendelssohn Quintette Club of Boston. At the request of Anton Seidl, he became a member of the New York Philharmonic.

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