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Seth Lesser (25 January 1917 – 6 June 1944) was an American-born classical violinist who gained national prominence in France during the years preceding the Second World War. Seth was widely acclaimed at the height of his career because of his virtuosity and signature sound.

Born into a musical family in Newport, Rhode Island, Seth Lesser first picked up the violin when he was five. The Lesser family moved to Cannes, France in 1921 when his mother signed up to play for the Colonne Orchestra.

A child prodigy, Seth Lesser took lessons from his mother and uncle, a flutist, who were both members of the Colonne Orchestra. Having completed his transformation from amateur musician to violin virtuoso, Seth made his first solo debut with the Colonne Orchestra in 1933 at the age of 16. His parents then decided to send him to the Paris Conservatory to acquire formal training under Jules Boucherit’s instruction.

In 1935, Seth’s status as a musician vaulted to national prominence when he came in second at the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, a competition for violinists held every five years in Poland in honor of Henryk Wieniawski. This was followed by a period of solo performances in Europe and United States. Seth Lesser performed his last on February 27, 1939 in Warsaw, Poland before he was drafted to the Free French Forces. Mr Lesser died on June 6, 1944, the first day of the Normandy Invasion.