Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to his irrepressible joy for making music.
Having performed with every major orchestra and at concert halls around the globe, Perlman was granted a Presidential Medal of Freedom—the Nation’s highest civilian honor—by President Obama in 2015, a National Medal of Arts by President Clinton in 2000, and a Medal of Liberty by President Reagan in 1986. Perlman has been honored with 16 Grammy® Awards, four Emmy® Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Genesis Prize.
In the 2024/25 season, Perlman celebrated the 30th anniversary of his iconic PBS special In the Fiddler’s House with performances in Cleveland, Kansas City, Costa Mesa, Bethesda, and Mesa alongside today’s klezmer stars including Hankus Netsky, Andy Statman, and members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. He is joined by an illustrious group of collaborators—Emanuel Ax, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and the Juilliard String Quartet—in a special Itzhak Perlman and Friends program in select appearances presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, UC Santa Barbara’s Arts & Lectures, and the San Francisco Symphony. His orchestral engagements include Cinema Serenade programs with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Tucson Symphony, and Nashville Symphony as well as a concerto performance with the Colorado Symphony. He continues touring An Evening with Itzhak Perlman, which captures highlights of his career through narrative and multi-media elements intertwined with performance, and plays recitals across North America including Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Antonio, West Palm Beach, and Sarasota among others with pianist Rohan De Silva in their 25th anniversary season.
Over the past 30 years, Perlman has been devoted to music education, mentoring gifted young string players alongside his wife Toby in the Perlman Music Program. He has taught full-time at the Program each summer since its founding in 1994. With close to 800 alumni, PMP is shaping the future landscape of classical music worldwide.
Perlman has an exclusive series of classes with Masterclass.com, the premier online education company that enables access to the world’s most brilliant minds including Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Helen Mirren, Jodie Foster, and Serena Williams, as the company’s first classical-music presenter.