Artist of the Month - Itzhak Perlman

Itzhak Perlman, violinist, conductor, pedagogue, will celebrate his 65th birthday on Tuesday, August 31. He made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1963 at the age of 18 and won the prestigious Leventritt Competition in 1964. In 2003 he was awarded the Kennedy Center honor.

Perlman plays on the antique Soil Stradivarius violin of 1714, formerly owned by Yehudi Menuhin.

Perlman has performed for presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush and on May 7, 2007, Queen Elizabeth II in the East Room at the White House. In 2009, he performed John Williams' "Air and Simple Gifts" for the inauguation of President Barack Obama, along with Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet).

Perlman has been a soloist for a number movie scores including the 1993 film Schindler's List by John Williams, which won an Academy Award for best score, and the 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha, along with Yo-Yo Ma.

Recently, he has begun to conduct and devotes a great deal of time teaching at the Julliard School and the Perlman Music Program.