A violin virtuoso finds excellence by the age of 8
April 25, 2024 at 12:31 a.m.
Sitting in a highchair in his Queens home, Jacob Koyfman couldn’t talk—nor was he expected to. He was a baby.
But his family noted early on how he didn’t need words to communicate. Eloquence, for him, even at an early age, was musical.
“He wouldn’t talk, but he’d sing,” Feliks Koyfman, his father, explained. “He just picks up anything from sound. He’ll listen to something, and he’ll be able to sing it, hum it, and play it.”
“Since an early age, he noticed he had perfect pitch,” Irina Lutinger, Jacob’s grandmother, alluded. “We’re a musical family, so we’d have something like Beethoven on, and later, he’d be singing everything—so clean, exactly how it is. I remember playing Beethoven’s Quartet No. 6, and he could sing every part, with such good pitch. We thought, the violin may be a good match.”
Now an 8-year-old Rye Brook resident—he moved to the Village when he was 3—Jacob has been playing the violin for four years, studying at the Music Conservatory of Westchester as a student of Nicole Peragine. And though his performances, for the most part, thus far have been before his peers during recitals, he’s currently preparing for “my biggest opportunity yet, so far,” he explained.
On Tuesday, Apr. 30, Jacob will be featured as a first-place winner in the inaugural International Musical Life Competition in a performance at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $55 and can be purchased at the box office or by phone at 212-247-7800.
The concert is part of the Musical Life Foundation’s development programs, which “are specifically built for inspiring and supporting young musicians and composers so they may excel to new heights in the field of classical music,” the organization states. Along with three Composers in Residencey under the age of 20 who will be premiering original works, 19 students who earned first-place honors in the competition will have time to showcase a piece on the stage.
In the “under age 10” category of contestants, Jacob is one of four who were selected to perform. He will play “Introduction and Polonaise” by Carl Bohm.
Jacob Koyfman takes some tips from his grandfather Sam Lutinger, a professional violinist who has served as Jacob’s greatest inspiration.By Sarah Wolpoff
“We’re very proud of him,” Jacob’s mother Susan Lutinger said. “He puts in a lot of effort and work. It’s not an overnight process, and he works very hard developing his craft. I do cry when he plays, it touches me. It’s very moving.”
Jacob is precocious, equally confident, and excitable—walking up to this reporter in his Old Orchard Road home to introduce his 124-year-old violin before himself. It’s a three-quarter sized instrument—his hands aren’t quite developed enough for full. “It’s French,” he smiled. “My grandpa bought it on eBay.”
It’s certainly a step up from his “first violin” — a blue plushy he received as a 1-year-old, which would turn out to be a spot-on toy for the aficionado.
Jacob may be 8 years old, but he recognizes his earliest, life-forming memory.
“I was introduced to music when I was born because my grandpa is a violinist; he’s the one who introduced me,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to play the violin, because of those moments, watching him play. It’s one of my very earliest memories.”
Sam Lutinger, the grandfather, was a professional violinist in the former Soviet Union and still found ways to play with local groups when he immigrated to the U.S. decades ago.
Like his grandfather, Jacob feels music is the passion that speaks to him—it defines him.
“I enjoy music so much because there are many different feelings I get when I’m listening to music. Like, when I listen to the Peer Gynt suite, the piece ‘The Hall of the Mountain King,’ it’s like a murder mystery for me,” Jacob detailed, before giggling: “There’s a range of emotions. Music can make me sad, or it can make me so happy that I literally start dancing.”
“He has a very strong musical connection with the music he plays,” Susan said, which in many ways is a reflection of the influence of his grandfather—Jacob’s craft has become a special bond between the two.
As Jacob prepared to showcase his piece during a visit on Tuesday, Apr. 23, Sam helped him set the stage. “The most important thing to do is tell a story,” Sam said. “The violin, that’s just a piece of wood. It’s the violinist that makes the sound. When you play the violin, it has to be a part of you.”
The 8-year-old smiled and began. With full, robust tones, he swayed from side to side while his family watched him serenade.
Feliks said mastering the violin has been fundamental for Jacob and has boosted his confidence and focus. The child attributes much of that to the conservatory where he trains.
“It’s been a very fun experience because they have an orchestra there, and I have a very good teacher,” he said. “I always have a lot of fun. The conservatory is a fun environment, a good environment for me to be in.”
Preparing for his performance at Carnegie Hall, Jacob isn’t too nervous. And even if the jitters hit before he gets on stage, “he has great stage control,” Irina said. Once he starts performing, the auditorium becomes his.
“I also went to a concert once in the exact same hall I’ll be in,” Jacob assured. “So now I’ve gotten used to the hall. I’m already used to the acoustics, so I know how I should play, and the dynamics I should fine-tune based on that.”
In his youth growing up in Rye Brook, Jacob enjoys many things—competing in Destination Imagination, taking swimming lessons, and playing baseball with the Port Chester Pirates. Of course, he proudly emphasized that he’s a Yankees fan.
And he looks forward to continuing his music career. As a student at Ridge Street Elementary School, the district does not offer a strings program to kids his age. So, he’s thinking of picking up another instrument.
“I’ve been concerned about whether I want to do band next year or not,” the third-grader said. “I’m thinking of doing something similar to the recorder because I’m pretty good at it, but it’s hard to decide. There are so many good options.”
No matter where his ear takes him, however, he can’t fathom a future without the violin—his true love, which makes him genuinely happy.
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