Eugene Ormandy (November 18, 1899–March 13, 1985) was a Hungarian-American conductor and violinist. Biography Eugene Ormandy, born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, began studying the violin at the National Hungarian Royal Academy of Music, now the Franz Liszt Academy of Music at the age of five. He gave his first concerts as a violinist at age seven, and graduated at fourteen with a master's degree. In 1920, he obtained a university degree in philosophy.