Rudolph Polk


Rudolph Polk was an American concert violinist based in New York City during his early years and, during his later years, a Hollywood film director, film industry executive, and artist manager for Jascha Heifetz, Vladimir Horowitz, José Iturbi, and Gregor Piatigorsky. In Hollywood, Polk was the assistant musical director to Morris Stoloff at Columbia Pictures. After World War II, Polk was musical director for Enterprise Studios.
Polk was family friends with Jacob Previn, father of André and Steve Previn.

Musical training

Polk graduated from the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin where he studied violin with Henri Marteau. He performed many times with the Berlin Philharmonic in the Early 1920s. He also toured with Feodor Chaliapin in the United States. Polk also studied composition with Paul Juon.

Filmography

As music supervisorThey Shall Have Music, Jascha Heifetz
As musical directorBody and Soul, Enterprise Productions, Inc. The Other Love Ramrod Arch of Triumph, Enterprise Productions, Inc. Four Faces West, Enterprise Studios No Minor Vices Caught, Enterprise Productions, Inc. A Kiss for Corliss
As songwriterArch of Triumph, Enterprise Productions, Inc.
As producerAdventures in Music, Artist Films, Inc. Of Men and Music Jan Peerce, Marian Anderson & Andrés Segovia, produced by Rudolph Polk and Bernard Luber; director, Irving Reis; writer, Harry Hurnitz
As film scorerThe Private Affairs of Bel Ami

Television

As producer

Family

Rudolph married Pauline née Stone in Manhattan, New York, on Mar 16, 1919. They had two children, Peter and Martha.

Posthumous memorial scholarship

Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky helped fund the posthumous Rudolph Polk Memorial Scholarship at Claremont Colleges.