Max Lulich
The impressive musical development of Max Lulich, born June 30, 1999, can be attributed to the consistent nurturing of his talent, careful educational choices, wise guidance, and support of the devoted father and grandfather who raise him on Chicago's south side.
Family life consists of three males - Max; father Gary; and paternal grandfather Joseph - and also Max's dog Rex. All live in an apartment building owned and managed by Joseph, allowing Gary Lulich to devote his time and energies to raising Max and helping development his musical talent.
When Max was born, his father Gary was bewildered when faced with the challenge of raising a baby whose mother was unable to live with the family and care for him. Yet, soon after Max's birth, Gary happened to see "The Art of The Violin," a film documentary on great violin music throughout history, featuring violin geniuses Fritz Kreisler, Yehudi Menuhin, Nathan Milstein, Itzhak Perlman, among others. This film impressed Max's father to such an extent that he knew that an important decision had been made for him - he knew without a doubt that he wanted violin playing to be his son's destiny.
From the age four months, Max began to be surrounded with great classical music, often 24 hours a day, as he lay in his crib in the midst of the marvelous sounds enveloping him, coming from CD's carefully chosen by Gary. At age nine months, Max was presented a little cardboard violin - his very first "musical" instrument - by local violin teacher Phyllis Calderon who had been engaged as Max's first violin teacher, and formal weekly lessons began with Calderon when Max was 21 months old.
Weekly lesson continued, and other teachers during the past 5 years have been Patrycja Ziembowska of the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute, and Lisa Yamaguchi and Raisa Budnitsky of UPbeat Music, Chicago.
Max's musical heritage includes an uncle who was a trumpet player, and his grandfather Joseph who, in his youth, played string bass in bars and at various social events.
Gifted with perfect pitch, Max can name the notes constituting chords after they are played for him on a piano or other musical instrument. He loves to practice and perform for any audience, regardless of size, and craves the challenge of continuously learning new technical exercises, concerti, sonatas and popular songs. He has memorized over 100 works, and carries his violin with him wherever he goes. When strolling the streets of Chicago with his family and friends, and on certain Sunday mornings at the famed Maxwell Street Market, he happily serenades the public, playing the numerous musical works that he has committed to memory.
Max also performs in church, in African History parades, at birthday parties, and has been asked to play "The Star Spangled Banner" on the playing fields of Chicago Cubs and White Sox baseball games. He was featured on the front page of the Chicago Tribune on July 10, 2005; has been interviewed with his family by Jet Magazine, and has received requests for videotapes for consideration to appear on The Dr. Phil TV Show and The Ellen DeGeneres TV Show.
On September 7, 2005, Max appeared on Chicago's Fox TV morning news show, performing portions of Concerto No. 2 in G Major by Friederich Seitz, where he was also interviewed on camera with his grandfather Joe.
On October 4, 2005, the Chicago Federation of Musicians, Local 10-208, inducted Max into its Youth Division as a member of the Union, making him the youngest member in the history of the Chicago Chapter ever accepted for membership.
On August 15, 2006, Max and his father were interviewed on ABC TV, and Max performed parts of a Corelli Concerto, and "Millionaire's Hoedown" on Harry Porterfield's ABC Channel 7 TV show, "Someone You Should Know".
He experienced his first performance with an orchestra in June, 2007, the City Symphony, in Chicago, when he performed the first movement of the Bach A Minor Violin Concerto. Last year he was chosen by Cookie Magazine and Sea Island Cloisters Resort, Georgia, to perform as a celebrity guest artist at a Gifted Child Program, where he performed his first full length recital, at Sea Island Cloisters Resort.
Max currently studies violin with Desiree Ruhstrat at The Music Institute of Chicago in Wilmette, Il., and Dr. Marylou Witz in Chicago.
Photography By: George Puolos