Itzhak Perlman

For me, Itzhak Perlman is one of the defining violinists of the last century, and not merely for technique. Born in Jaffa and struck by polio as a child, he plays seated, yet his tone is the most singing, generous sound I know. His haunting theme for Schindler's List alone would secure his place, but the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Presidential Medal of Freedom and Kennedy Center Honors confirm a career beyond category. What stays with me is his warmth: he makes the instrument speak rather than merely dazzle. Every time I hear him, I am reminded that great music is a form of prayer.

Name (English)

Itzhak Perlman

Name (Japanese)

イツァーク・パールマン

Reading

いつぁーく・ぱーるまん

Born

August 31, 1945 (age 80)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Virgo / Rooster

Origin

Jaffa, Mandatory Palestine

Occupation

violinist / conductor / professor / pedagogue

Awards & achievements

• National Medal of Arts
• 2008 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
• Library of Congress Living Legend
• Medal of Liberty
• 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Kennedy Center Honors
• 1977 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)
• 1980 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)

• Official sitehttps://itzhakperlman.com
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itzhak%20Perlman
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%84%E3%82%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%83%BB%E3%83%91%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q215905

Tags

• violinist
• conductor
• professor

Last updated

2026-06-17

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.