Thursday, April 13, 7:30 pm
Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. In this return engagement at the Virginia Arts Festival, Perlman will perform music from famous film scores with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by JoAnn Falletta.
Perlman has performed for major film scores including his unforgettable, emotional rendition from Schindler’s List, as well as other films including Fantasia 2000 and Memoirs of a Geisha. In this performance, he will play these themes, as well as music from Sabrina, Cinema Paradiso, Scent of a Woman, Out of Africa, Far and Away, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and As Time Goes By from Casablanca.
Born in Israel in 1945, Perlman first showed interest in music as a toddler growing up in Tel Aviv. He began his studies at the Shulamit Conservatory and at the Academy of Music, giving his first public recital at age 10. When he was 13, he was invited to appear on one of early television’s most popular shows, The Ed Sullivan Show, where an audience of millions discovered the gifts of this great violinist. Since then, he has performed with the world’s great orchestras as both soloist and conductor; has created a legacy of recordings, garnering 15 Grammy Awards as well as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; and has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Medal of the Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. A major presence in the performing arts on television, Perlman has also been honored with four Emmy Awards.
Perlman continues his busy performance schedule of solo recitals, concerto performances, and conducting. In addition to teaching at Juilliard and running his summer academy—the Perlman Music Program—he dedicates himself to causes of lifelong interest of diversity, inclusion, and breaking barriers. In May 2016, he attracted international attention when he took a stand for equality in cancelling his North Carolina show. One month later in June 2016, he was awarded the “Jewish Nobel” 2016 Genesis Prize in Israel by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Perlman distributed the $1 million Genesis Prize funds to disability and music education organizations.
Tickets for the Virginia Arts Festival performance are $59-$125 and may be purchased online at www.vafest.org, by phone at 757- 282-2822 or by visiting the Virginia Arts Festival box office.