World-famous and award-winning violin virtuoso: Who is Itzhak Perlman?

Itzhak Perlman was born on August 31, 1945, in Tel Aviv, one of the largest cities in Palestine before the establishment of Israel (a few years later it became part of the State of Israel). His parents, both of Polish origin, immigrated to Palestine in the mid-1930s, long before they met each other.

It was noticed that Perlman was impressed by a classical music concert played on the radio when he was only three years old. This is how Perlman's violin adventure began. His father, who worked as a barber, bought a second-hand violin for his little son. Before facing the greatest of his life's challenges, Perlman was encouraged to engage intensely with the violin and classical music every day.

Itzhak Perlman (born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist. He has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that have included a state dinner for Elizabeth II at the White House in 2007, and at the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama. He has conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Westchester Philharmonic. In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Perlman has won 16 Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and four Emmy Awards.

Perlman, who had polio when he was four years old, practiced for a year to recover and was able to walk with support and crutches in a short time. After leaving the hospital, he enrolled at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music with a scholarship from the American-Israeli Cultural Foundation and began studying violin with Rivka Goldgart. When he was seven years old, he performed with the Ramat-Gan Orchestra in Tel Aviv and the Radio Orchestra in Jerusalem, Israel. The little violinist, who gave his first solo recital in 1955 when he was only ten years old, was considered a musical genius in Israel.

After giving his first solo concerts in Tel Aviv, Perlman was invited to the program by the famous entertainer Ed Sullivan in 1958 and thus began his American adventure. Perlman, who attracted great attention in the program and attracted attention with his talent, moved to New York with his mother in the same year and enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music. Perlman, who had the opportunity to work for several years with world-famous violinist and violin teacher Ivan Galamian and his assistant Dorothy DeLay, performed at Carnegie Hall in 1964 and came first in Leventritt, a very prestigious international competition, in the same year.

With the concert and recording offers that followed the competition, Itzhak Perlman gave concerts with the largest symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in his first recording. Considered one of the brightest violinists of his generation, Itzhak Perlman has performed chamber music with great artists such as the famous pianist Daniel Barenboim, violinist Pinchas Zukerman and cellists Jacqueline Du Pré and Lynn Harrell, and has also made duo recordings with pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy.

The famous violinist, who started teaching at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music in New York in 1975, also taught at Juilliard, where he previously studied, for many years.

Perlman, who remains one of the most popular musicians in the world due to his extraordinary talent, calmness, generous temperament, and warm contact with the public, continues to appear frequently on American television as both a performer and a performer.

Itzhak Perlman's major repertoire ranges from Baroque to Contemporary, although he has a particular penchant for the Romantic Period. He also collaborates with his friends André Previn and Oscar Peterson on other musical styles such as jazz or ragtime.

Perlman, who has to go to his concerts with a power chair due to his illness, has a talent and love of music that will inspire all musicians.

"I have a simple philosophy. It is necessary to separate talents from disabilities. The fact that I cannot walk or need crutches or a chair or anything has nothing to do with the fact that I play the violin."

The virtuoso, who has contributed to the organization of various initiatives around the world for the physically disabled, has devoted himself to orchestra conducting in recent years. as principal guest with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and in St. He serves as musical advisor to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

The artist, who premiered many works dedicated to him by American composers such as Earl Kim (1979) and Robert Starer (1981), has made a name for himself for years and continues to do so with his ever-growing discography.

Perlman, who performed at the state dinner attended by Queen Elizabeth at the White House on May 7, 2007, performed John Williams's 'Air and Simple Gifts' and Yo-Yo Ma (cello) at Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony in 2009. , performed with Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet).

Some of the awards received by Perlman, who achieved many successes throughout his life;

Grammy - Best Instrumental Solo Performance/with orchestra (1977- 1980-1981-1982-1987-1990-1995)

Grammy - Best Chamber Music Performance (1978- 1981 - 1987 - 1990)

Grammy – Best Classical Music Album / Brahms Violin Concerto (1978)

Grammy – Best Instrumental Solo Performance/without orchestra (1980)

Medal of Liberty (1986)

Emmy - Outstanding Performance Art in Classical Music / Perlman in Russia (1992)

Emmy – Outstanding Individual Achievement (1994)

Emmy - Outstanding Cultural Music and Dance Program / Itzhak Perlman In The Fiddler's House (1996)

Emmy – Outstanding Cultural Music and Dance Program / Itzhak Perlman Fiddling for the Future (1999)

National Medal of Arts (2000)

Kennedy Honor Award (2003)

Juilliard – Honorary Doctorate and Centennial Medal (2005)

Grammy – Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)