Hellmesberger was a formidable teacher and violinist with such students as Auer, Brodsky, Rappoldi and the Schrammel brothers. At the Vienna Conservatory he studied violin with his father and became a soloist at the age of seventeen. From 1851 to 1859 he brought the amateur Gesellshaft der Musikfreunde to prominence. By 1860 Hellmesberger was the Konzertmeister at Hofoper, in 1879 the director of the singers of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and, earlier in 1877 the Hofkapellmeister in Vienna. With Durst, Heissler and Schlesinger he performed in The Hellmesberger String Quartet performing numerous works and premieres. As an orchestra leader and performer, particularly his technique and elegance, Hellmesberger was highly praised. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi