Role

:

Conductor  

Country

:

Russia

Birth

:

July 21, 1920 in Kreminiecz, Russia

Death

:

September 22, 2001 in New York City, NY

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

Isaac Stern was a renowned classical music artist who was born on July 21, 1920, in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was the youngest of three children born to Solomon and Clara Stern, who were both Jewish immigrants from Russia. The family moved to San Francisco when Isaac was just one year old, and it was there that he began his musical education. Stern's parents were both amateur musicians, and they encouraged their son's interest in music from an early age. He began playing the violin at the age of six, and by the time he was 12, he was already performing in public. He studied with some of the best teachers in the San Francisco area, including Naoum Blinder and Louis Persinger. In 1935, when Stern was just 15 years old, he made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. This performance was a huge success, and it marked the beginning of Stern's career as a professional musician. He went on to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he was a student of Efrem Zimbalist. Stern's career continued to flourish throughout the 1940s and 1950s. He performed with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. He also made numerous recordings, including the complete Beethoven violin sonatas with pianist Eugene Istomin. One of the highlights of Stern's career came in 1960, when he performed at the White House for President John F. Kennedy. This performance was part of a series of concerts that Stern organized to raise money for music education programs in the United States. The concerts were a huge success, and they helped to establish Stern as one of the leading advocates for music education in the country. Stern continued to perform and record throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also became increasingly involved in music education, serving as the president of the Carnegie Hall Corporation from 1960 to 1968 and as the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts from 1977 to 1982. In 1987, he founded the Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, which is held every three years in Shanghai, China. Stern's contributions to the world of classical music were recognized with numerous awards and honors. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987. He was also a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the Wolf Prize in Arts, and the Avery Fisher Prize. Stern continued to perform and teach until his death on September 22, 2001, at the age of 81. His legacy as one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century lives on through his recordings, his students, and the many musicians he inspired throughout his career.

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