Charles Haupt was given his first lessons by the celebrated violinist and pedagogue Joseph Gingold. He attended the Julliard School of Music, studying with Dorothy DeLay and Ivan Galamian, and the Manes College of Music where he worked with William Kroll. Mr. Haupt won a Fulbright Scholarship to Paris where he studied with the revered Nadia Boulanger in both performance and composition. During this time he also performed extensively in France, England, Holland and Belgium.
Mr. Haupt became the youngest concertmaster of a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. when he was engaged by the San Antonio Symphony under Victor Allesandro. He was invited to Buffalo by Lucas Foss in 1966 to join The Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at UB, and in turn was awarded the position of concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic in 1969, a post he has filled with distinction, including his duties as yearly soloist with the BPO in a diverse repertoire of concertos by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Barber, Delius, Amram and others.
Apart from his Buffalo responsibilities Mr. Haupt has also performed as first violin with the Stravinsky and Koussevitzky chamber music festivals at Lincoln Center, was concertmaster and soloist for several years at the Caramoor Music Festival under Julius Rudel and performed for 21 years at the Mostly Mozart Festival as concertmaster and soloist, also in Lincoln Center. He has been a featured soloist with the N.Y. Philharmonic on several occasions and served as concertmaster for Leonard Bernstein on his last recording of West Side Story for Deutsche Gramophone the video of which has been shown widely on PBS among the Bernstein documentaries.
Mr. Haupt has also performed with the American String Project in Seattle, was the violinist in the Baird Trio in residence at UB for several years and participated in many festivals around the world, including performances in Italy with renowned pianist Fabio Bidini. He also performs with the new music festival "June in Buffalo" at UB.
Mr. Haupt is a member of the faculty of the Eastman School of Music and has been a frequent coach of members of the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida . He is also the founder of the highly succesful concert series "Musical Feast" in Buffalo, NY.
Reviews from the Mostly Mozart Festival, New York City :
" Mr. Haupt's lithe and expressive playing is the epitome of singing on the violin." New York Times
"...the incredible display of virtuosity and stamina by Charles Haupt who was featured in virtually every work of the evening." International Herald Tribune
