Itzhak Perlman Early Life Itzhak Perlman was born

Itzhak Perlman

Early Life Itzhak Perlman was born in 1945 in Tel Aviv, Israel (then Palestine) His parents were natives of Poland. They had immigrated (separately) to Palestine in the 1930’s and met there. Itzhak became interested in the violin after hearing a classical performance on the radio. At the age of three, he was denied admission to the Shulamit Conservatory for being too small to hold a violin. He instead taught himself how to play the instrument using a toy fiddle until he was old enough to study there. He later went on to study violin at the Juilliard School in NYC.

Why is Itzhak Perlman in a wheelchair? Perlman contracted polio at age four. He made a good recovery, learning to walk with crutches. Today, he uses crutches or an electric Amigo scooter for mobility and plays the violin while seated.

Why is he famous? He is accepted and celebrated by many as one of the greatest classical violinists of the twentieth century. He travels around the world performing and teaming with other great musicians and he has brought a new style, individuality and technical ability to classical music and the violin. Hoping to individualize his performances and make them more challenging to perform, in April of 1969, Perlman gave a special interpretative performance of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D in New York City. This performance, as well as other such performances, set Perlman apart from other musicians of renown as one that not only could play technically well, but could also change arrangements to make them fit the performer instead of the other way around. In 1986, Perlman was awarded the Medal of Liberty for his efforts in promoting classical music across international boundaries. As a result of this touring, Perlman has played with almost every symphony orchestra in the world. He has also been awarded honorary degrees from Yale, Harvard and Brandeis Universities as well as one from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel.

Performances Perlman was introduced to the wider American public when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show twice in 1958, and again in 1964, on the same show with the Rolling Stones.

Performances He made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1963 and won the Leventritt Competition in 1964. Soon afterward, he began to tour widely.

Performances In addition to an extensive recording and performance career, he has continued to make guest appearances on American television shows such The Tonight Show and Sesame Street as well as playing at a number of functions at the White House. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=z 3 richco. CUI

Teaching Perlman taught at the Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn College and Juilliard School of Music. He started The Perlman Music Program on Long Island, NY. This is a violin program for students ages 11 -18.

Instruments Perlman plays the Soil Stradivarius violin of 1714, formerly owned by Yehudi Menuhin and considered one of the finest violins made during Stradivari's "golden period. ” He bought it in 1986 for just under $1 million, but it’s worth much more today.

Schindler’s List https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=i. PRk. Zxl. BAq. I&list =RDi. PRk. Zxl. BAq. I#t=17 Sesame Street https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=z 3 richco. CUI

Schindler’s List Violinist Itzhak Perlman performs John Williams' haunting score on the soundtrack. Perlman is on record as saying that his contribution to the film is one of his proudest moments in an illustrious career. Steven Spielberg was the director, John Williams was the composer and Itzhak Perlman played the violin. When Steven Spielberg first showed John Williams a cut of the film, Williams was so moved he had to take a walk outside for several minutes to collect himself. Upon his return, Williams told Spielberg he deserved a better composer. Spielberg replied, "I know, but they're all dead. "