His parents were Bessarabian Jewish immigrants - young Devy Erlih was soon recognized as an outstanding talented prodigy. The family made ti through the WWI German Occupation and after the war Erlihcontinued his studies. Hewon the coveted Paris conservatoire Premier Prix and his career as a violin soloist began. In 1955 Erlih won the International Long-Thibaud competition and subse- quently toured throughout Europe, America and Japan. In addition to his vast stan- dard classical repertoire, he became a champion of contemporary composers inclu- ding Bartók, Jolivet, Dutilleux, Martinü, Milhaud, Sauguet, Maderna, Ropartz, Tomasi, Leet, Jacque Charpentier, Denisov, Julien Falk, Paul Le Flem and Loucheur. Many composers wrote concertos or sonatas for him. He combined the raw gipsy mu- sic styles of his Balkan heritage with the refined elegance of the French violin school and his recordings are highly sought after by collectors. An early interest in Bartok, Stravinsky and Prokofiev led Erlih to become pas- sionate about contemporary music, and he premiered concertos by Milhaud, Bruno Maderna, Henri Sauguet, Henri Tomasi, and others. He also championed the works of André Jolivet, including the 1972 Violin Concerto and the Suite rhapsodique. Erlih was also a noted teacher and was on staffat the Paris Conservatoire. In 2010 he was the president of the Jury in the Long-Thibaud competition.