Perlman, Itzhak

Perlman, Itzhak,

1945–, Israeli musician, one of the greatest violinists of his generation, b. Tel Aviv. A child prodigy, he gave a solo violin recital at age ten, appeared on American television in 1958, and studied at Juilliard. Since his Carnegie Hall debut in 1963, Perlman has appeared widely in concert throughout the world and has made hundreds of recordings. He is noted for the warmth of his tone and brillant technique. Stricken with polio at age four, Perlman has also been an advocate for the rights of the disabled.

Perlman, Itzhak

(1945– ) violinist; born in Tel Aviv, Israel. Crippled by polio in childhood, he took up the violin with enthusiasm and made his public debut at age nine. Four years later he came to New York to study at Juilliard, where his teachers were Ivan Galamian and Dorothy Delay. After winning first prize in the Leventritt Competition in 1964, he entered the highest rank of international violin soloists. The combination of his brilliance in the standard repertoire—with occasional forays into the moderns—and his engaging personality made him one of the most popular soloists of his time.