Courtesy of the United States Federal Government

Itzhak Perlman b. 1945

Itzhak Perlman is one of the preeminent violinists of the 20th century. He was born in Tel Aviv and trained at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv and at the Juilliard School in New York. Although stricken with polio at the age of four, Perlman made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1963 and began touring extensively. In 1987, he joined the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for their concerts in Warsaw and Budapest. While he plays primarily classical music, Perlman also includes jazz and klezmer in his repertoire and has scored a number of movies, including Schindler's List (1993).