PERLMAN, ITZHAK

PERLMAN, ITZHAK (1945– ), Israeli violinist. Perlman studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music with Rivka Goldgart. A child prodigy, he gave a solo violin recital at age 10 and appeared on American television in 1958. He later studied at Juilliard with Delay and Galamian, aided by a scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1963. Winning the Leventritt Competition (1964) launched his international career, through which he has become known as one of the world's leading musicians. Perlman is noted for the warmth and beauty of his tone, brilliant technique, a genuine humanity and joie de vivre. In 1965, he performed eight concerts throughout Israel, which culminated in a performance of Tchaikovsky pieces in Tel Aviv for which he received a 15-minute ovation. He played as a soloist in the Israel Philharmonic concerts in Warsaw and Budapest (1987, representing its first performances in Eastern Bloc countries) and the orchestra's first visits to the Soviet Union (1990), China, and India (1994). He regularly returns to Israel. In chamber music he has often been heard with such colleaguesas zukerman , ashkenazy , and Argerich. From 1997 Perlman developed a new role as director/soloist and appeared with the English Chamber Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, and other noted orchestras. His vast repertoire encompasses all the standard violin works as well as klezmer and contemporary music. Several composers wrote works for him and his recordings regularly appear on the best-seller charts and have won 15 Grammy Awards. Among them are the Bach solo sonatas and partitas, the Paganini Caprices, and much of the virtuoso repertory. He performed the violin solos in steven spielberg 's Academy Award-winning film Schindler's List. Perlman made a habit of encouraging young talent and over the years held a variety of teaching posts, including close involvement, alongside wife, Toby, in the Perlman Music Program for Young People, beginning in 1998. Among his many awards are the Medal of Liberty (1986), in appreciation of his outstanding contribution to American life and achievements, the Royal Philharmonic Society's gold medal (1996), and the National Medal of Arts (2000). The Harvard, Yale, and Hebrew universities are among the many institutions to have awarded him honorary degrees. He is an honorary citizen of Tel Aviv. Stricken with polio at age four, he has also been an advocate for the rights of the disabled. His daughter, pianist Navah Perlman, has performed to critical acclaim in major concert venues throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Grove online; Baker's Biographical Dictionary (1997); C.H. Behrman, Fiddler to the World: The Inspiring Life of Itzhak Perlman (1992). (Naama Ramot (2nd ed.)